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The Origins of Modern Literary Theory in the Repudiation of Autobiographical Readings of Shakespeare's Sonnets.

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Title: The Origins of Modern Literary Theory in the Repudiation of Autobiographical Readings of Shakespeare's Sonnets.
Authors: Waugaman, Richard M. (AUTHOR)
Source: Psychoanalytic Inquiry. Jul2023, Vol. 43 Issue 5, p364-382. 19p.
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616, Literary theory, Sonnet, Fictional characters, Psychoanalytic theory, Literary characters
Abstract: For a century, prevailing literary theories have amputated authors from their fictional works, reducing characters to merely words on the page. Many of us who love reading literature are puzzled by the disconnect between our subjective assumptions about it and those of literary critics, who reject common-sense understanding of the vital role of the author, and of the interaction between our imagination and fictional characters. A major but unacknowledged reason for this counterintuitive trend has been efforts to buttress the traditional but increasingly dubious legend about who wrote the works of William Shakespeare. Since the late 1500s, there have been doubts as to the identity of the real Shakespeare. His name was often hyphenated as Shake-speare in early years, when hyphenated last names in England were rare then. But assumed names in plays were sometimes hyphenated. Sir Sidney Lee was one of the most prominent and influential Shakespeare scholars at the turn of the 20th century. He looked for biographical clues about Shakespeare in his Sonnets. But he quickly did an about-face in reaction to the bisexuality of these Sonnets. Lee's reversal was pivotal in literary critics' subsequent dogma that Shakespeare's works, and fiction in general, need to be separated from the author. This irrational dogma was also applied to fictional characters, in part in reaction to reductionistic uses of psychoanalytic theory to "analyze" literary characters. The close study of this history may help free us from misconceptions about the real Shakespeare, and from misguided literary theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Psychoanalytic Inquiry is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Shakespeare%2C+William%2C+1564-1616%22">Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literary+theory%22">Literary theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sonnet%22">Sonnet</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fictional+characters%22">Fictional characters</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychoanalytic+theory%22">Psychoanalytic theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literary+characters%22">Literary characters</searchLink>
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  Data: For a century, prevailing literary theories have amputated authors from their fictional works, reducing characters to merely words on the page. Many of us who love reading literature are puzzled by the disconnect between our subjective assumptions about it and those of literary critics, who reject common-sense understanding of the vital role of the author, and of the interaction between our imagination and fictional characters. A major but unacknowledged reason for this counterintuitive trend has been efforts to buttress the traditional but increasingly dubious legend about who wrote the works of William Shakespeare. Since the late 1500s, there have been doubts as to the identity of the real Shakespeare. His name was often hyphenated as Shake-speare in early years, when hyphenated last names in England were rare then. But assumed names in plays were sometimes hyphenated. Sir Sidney Lee was one of the most prominent and influential Shakespeare scholars at the turn of the 20th century. He looked for biographical clues about Shakespeare in his Sonnets. But he quickly did an about-face in reaction to the bisexuality of these Sonnets. Lee's reversal was pivotal in literary critics' subsequent dogma that Shakespeare's works, and fiction in general, need to be separated from the author. This irrational dogma was also applied to fictional characters, in part in reaction to reductionistic uses of psychoanalytic theory to "analyze" literary characters. The close study of this history may help free us from misconceptions about the real Shakespeare, and from misguided literary theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Psychoanalytic Inquiry is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/07351690.2023.2221629
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        Text: English
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              Text: Jul2023
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