Shakespeare source study in the early twenty‐first century: A resurrection?

Abstract

Renewed interest in authorial and rehearsal processes, as well as new investigations of audience knowledges and experiences, are prompting a rethinking of Shakespearean source study to incorporate 21st century perspectives and to make use of the affordances of digital data processing. This article does not suggest new sources, but rather it shows that scholars are in the process of rethinking Shakespearean source study in light of current ways of thinking about authorship, memory, and audiences. An important element of current thinking is an awareness of the need to sustain an understanding of diverse early modern cultures. Because Shakespeare is such a central figure of English authorship, how Shakespearean sources, compositional processes, and cultural contexts are understood, taught, edited, and studied continues to matter. In all of these areas, digital technologies provide new opportunities and challenges.