A Club of Our Own

Women's Play Readings in the Nineteenth Century

Authors

  • Ann Thompson King's College London

Abstract

Cluster: “Shakespeare Readings, Societies, and Forums.” Edited by Matt Kozusko, Christy Desmet, and Robert Sawyer. 

In the nineteenth century, women began to form and participate in Shakespeare reading clubs, both in Britain and the United States. Written records of such clubs and societies, although they varied in format, social makeup, and purpose, demonstrate that Shakespeare readings offered women opportunities for both personal education and political action.

Author Biography

Ann Thompson, King's College London

Ann Thompson is a Professor of English and Head of the School of Humanities at King's College London. She is a General Editor of the Arden Shakespeare series, and she has edited The Taming of the Shrew for Cambridge (1984, updated 2003) and all three texts of Hamlet for Arden (co-edited with Neil Taylor, 2006). Other publications include Shakespeare's Chaucer (1978), Shakespeare, Meaning and Metaphor (co-authored with John O. Thompson, 1987), Women Reading Shakespeare, 1660-1900 (co-edited with Sasha Roberts, 1997), and numerous chapters in books and essays in journals.

Issue Cover text: B&L, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2006. Image: 18th century actress in a shepherdess costume tips her hat.

Downloads

Published

2006-09-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2006): Fall/Winter

Section

Notes