Kirwan, Peter (2011) Shakespeare and the idea of apocrypha : negotiating the boundaries of the dramatic canon. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

Shakespeare and the Idea of Apocrypha offers the most comprehensive study to
date of an intriguing but understudied body of plays. It undertakes a major reconsideration
of the processes that determine the constitution of the Shakespeare canon through study
of that canon’s exclusions. This thesis combines historical analysis of the emergence and
development of the "Shakespeare Apocrypha" with current theorisations of dramatic
collaboration.
Several new theoretical and historical approaches to early modern authorship have
emerged in the last decade. This thesis breaks new ground by bringing them together to
demonstrate the untenability of the dichotomy between Canon and Apocrypha. Both
within and without the text, the author is only one of several factors that shape the plays,
and canonical boundaries are contingent rather than absolute.
Chapter One draws on the New Textualism and studies of material print
attributions, viewing the construction of the apocryphal canon alongside the growth of
Shakespeare’s cultural prestige over three centuries. Chapter Two applies recent repertory
studies to authorship questions, treating five anonymous King’s Men’s plays as part of a
shared company practice that transcends authorial divisions. Chapter Three seeks dialogue
between post-structuralist theory and "disintegrationist" work, revealing a shared concern
with the plurality of agents within disputed plays. Within all three models of authorship,
the divisions between "Shakespeare" and "not Shakespeare" are shown to be ambiguous
and subjective.
The associations of many disputed plays with the Shakespeare canon are factual,
not fanciful. The ambiguity of canonical boundaries ultimately demonstrates the
insufficiency of the "CompleteWorks" model for study of Shakespeare’s drama. Chapter
Four confronts the commercial considerations that impose practical limitations on the
organisation of plays. In so doing, this thesis establishes the theoretical principles by which
the neglected plays of the Apocrypha can be readmitted into discourse, dispersing the fixed
authority of the authorial canon.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Criticism and interpretation, Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Authorship
Official Date:	August 2011
Dates:	Date Event August 2011 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Bate, Jonathan
Sponsors:	Arts & Humanities Research Council (Great Britain) (AHRC) ; International Shakespeare Association ; Shakespeare Association of America
Extent:	vii, 362 p.
Language:	eng

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