Shakespeare and Reception Theory

Nigel Wood is Professor of Literature at Loughborough University, UK. He has served as advisor to the RSC and Royal National Theatre on Shakespeare productions and directed several of Shakespeare's plays. He edited She Stoops to Conquer and Other Eighteenth-Century Comedies (2007), and co-edited with David Lodge Modern Theory and Criticism (2008).

• Series Editor's PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1. First Principles Chapter 2. The Role of the Spectator and Reader Chapter 3. Literary Communities and Affective ExperienceChapter 4. The Resistant Reader Chapter 5. Shakespeare and Public Responses ConclusionAppendixNotesReferencesIndex

[Wood’s] combination of different aspects such as psychology, identity, public sphere, etc. also has some interdisciplinary significance to the reception theories … Such an interdisciplinary approach not only enables Wood to discuss the reception problems with new perspectives but also to shift among different reception theories with ease … Besides some theoretical contributions, this book also has some practical significance. It can serve as a valuable reference for scholars who are keen on reception studies or Shakespeare performance studies, and the theoretical templates developed in the book are wealthy resources for students who seek a systematic introduction of response theories and fields for any further investigation.