Additional information
by Valerie M. Fazel (Editor), Louise Geddes (Editor)
Examines Shakespeare fragments as agents of appropriation
Drawing on new materialism and object-oriented ontology, Variable Objects proposes that Shakespeare is a vibrant object replete with a variable energy that accounts for its infinite meaning-making capacity. Using critical race theory, object oriented feminism, performance studies, Global Shakespeares, media studies and game theory, the collection's essays explore the dialogic relationship between the Shakespeare object and its appropriation. Each chapter demonstrates that instead of moving away from the source of appropriation, an object-oriented approach can centralise Shakespeare without the constraints of outdated notions of fidelity. Highlighting the variable materiality inherent in Shakespeare, the collection foregrounds the political ecologies of literary objects as a new methodology for adaptation studies.
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'This extraordinary collection will have a profound impact on Shakespeare and appropriation studies. Using object-oriented methodology, the authors develop a speculative approach that refigures Shakespeare as a vibrant, multifarious "thing" that actively participates in the creation of limitless interpretations and appropriations. The volume opens up new possibilities for the field.' Lisa S. Starks, University of South Florida Examines Shakespeare fragments as agents of appropriation Drawing on new materialism and object-oriented ontology, Variable Objects proposes that Shakespeare is a vibrant object replete with a variable energy that accounts for its infinite meaning-making capacity. Using critical race theory, object oriented feminism, performance studies, Global Shakespeares, media studies and game theory, the collection's essays explore the dialogic relationship between the Shakespeare object and its appropriation. Each chapter demonstrates that instead of moving away from the source of appropriation, an object-oriented approach can centralise Shakespeare without the constraints of outdated notions of fidelity. Highlighting the variable materiality inherent in Shakespeare, the collection foregrounds the political ecologies of literary objects as a new methodology for adaptation studies. Valerie M. Fazel is Instructor at Arizona State University. Louise Geddes is Associate Professor of English at Adelphi University.
Author Biography
Valerie M. Fazel, Instructor at Arizona State University, is co-editor of The Shakespeare User: Critical and Creative Appropriation in a Networked Culture and co-author of the Shakespeare Multiverse: Fandom as Literary Praxis. Her essays on Shakespeare, social media, and fandom appear in Borrowers and Lenders and the forthcoming Shakespeare's Audiences.
Louise Geddes is Professor of English at Adelphi University, USA. She is the author of Appropriating Shakespeare: A Cultural History of Pyramus and Thisbe and with Valerie M. Fazel she has co-authored The Shakespeare Multiverse: Fandom as Literary Praxis and co-edited The Shakespeare User: Creative and Critical Appropriation in Networked Culture and Variable Objects: Speculative Shakespeare Appropriation. She has had articles published in Shakespeare Bulletin, Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England, Shakespeare and Shakespeare Survey. She is currently general co-editor of the open access journal Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare Appropriation.
