Shakespeare and Education in the Lambs' Poetry for Children and Tales from Shakespeare

Authors

  • Darlena Ciraulo University of Central Missouri
  • Daniel Schierenbeck University of Central Missouri

Abstract

This essay discusses the role of Shakespeare in Mary and Charles Lamb's Poetry for Children (1809; Lamb and Lamb 1970) and Tales from Shakespeare (1807; Lamb and Lamb 1993), arguing that the Lambs use sibling education to help in the understanding of Shakespeare. Drawing on Romantic-era notions of family instruction, the Lambs invoke a model of brother-sister tutelage to show that fraternal supervision aids in a sister's intellectual development and understanding of Shakespeare. The Lambs, however, also rework this traditional, hierarchical model to illustrate that brother-sister education can encourage a cooperative and reciprocal learning of Shakespeare.

Author Biographies

Darlena Ciraulo, University of Central Missouri

Darlena Ciraulo is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Central Missouri. She has published articles on Shakespeare and romance, Shakespearean appropriation, and early modern prose narratives. She is currently working on a book-length study that examines the influence of Hellenistic romance in the representations of love and chastity in Shakespeare's late plays.

Daniel Schierenbeck, University of Central Missouri

Daniel Schierenbeck is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Central Missouri, where he teaches Romantic-era literature. His essay, "'Sublime Labours': Aesthetics and Political Economy in Blake's 'Jerusalem,'" is forthcoming in Studies in Romanticism. He is currently working on a book-length project that examines the pervasive connections between religion, culture, and aesthetics in Romantic-era literature.

Issue Cover text: B&L, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2006. Image: Line illustration of two children talking while holding books.

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Published

2006-05-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2006): Shakespeare for Children

Section

Articles