Chapter 11 - Shakespeare in the Modern Era

Summary

The major scholarly editions of Shakespeare published from the mid twentieth century through to the opening decades of the current century are considered in this chapter. Peter Alexander's edition for the Glasgow publishers Collins is tracked in detail and its use as the working text for the BBC Shakespeare TV series is registered. The Riverside edition, which served for many years as the dominant text for the US university market, is also considered. The history of the Oxford Shakespeare, in its various incarnations from its first appearance in 1986, is mapped. The Oxford edition provided the base text for the Norton Shakespeare, though, in more recent times, Norton has severed the link and established its own text. The history of the Norton edition is considered, as is the Royal Shakespeare Company endorsed edition, produced by Macmillan. The chapter ends with an exploration of significant challenges to New Bibliographic editorial practice that emerged in the closing decades of the twentieth century, often driven by poststructuralist thinking; it is noted that, despite these challenges, editors continue to find the basic techniques of the New Bibliography of considerable utility.