A Shakespearean actor who made his career on the public stage, whose sex life was known and discussed in Britain, America and France, Edmund Kean has inspired numerous writings, many biographies among them. But until now, no work has tackled the complicated and fascinating story of his literary appropriation, both in his own day and after his death. Dealing with the way a variety of canonical authors-including Byron, Coleridge, Keats, Dumas, Twain and Sartre-appropriated Kean through the centuries, The Cult of Kean traces a remarkable literary legacy. In each chapter Jeffrey Kahan discusses how many of history's greatest figures viewed Kean, and how these figures examined and discussed themselves in relation to-or projected themselves onto-a variety of constructions of the great actor. Kahan first explores the rise of Kean in light of rising democratic sympathies, then in light of Kean's equally autocratic dealings with playwrights, among them John Keats. He looks at Kean's sexual shenanigans at Drury Lane, exploring them in the wider social context of infidelity; and explores perceptions of Kean in America, during his 1820-1 and 1825-6 tours. The Cult of Kean cites many letters from Kean's mother and still others from his wife, none of which have been published previously. The study also features rare and interesting paintings of Kean, as well as depictions of how writers, actors and film makers continue to add to his remarkable literary legacy.

Great Shakespeareans offers a systematic account of those figures who have had the greatest influence on the interpretation, understanding and cultural reception of Shakespeare, both nationally and internationally. In this volume, leading scholars assess the contribution of David Garrick, John Philip Kemble, Sarah Siddons and Edmund Kean to the afterlife and reception of Shakespeare and his plays. Each substantial contribution assesses the double impact of Shakespeare on the figure covered and of the figure on the understanding, interpretation and appreciation of Shakespeare, provide a sketch of their subject's intellectual and professional biography and an account of the wider cultural context, including comparison with other figures or works within the same field.

In academia, the mantra "publish or perish" is more than a cliche. In most humanities fields, securing tenure proves impossible without at least one book under your belt. Yet despite the obvious importance of academic publishing, the process remains an enigma to most young scholars. In this helpful guide, a seasoned author offers essential advice for novice academic writers seeking publication. He explains why not all publications are equal, why e-books are not as widely respected as printed books in the academic world, how to schedule publications prior to tenure, how to spot a publishable idea, how to approach the right publisher, and a host of other useful tips that greatly increase one's chances of publication. By outlining a step-by-step approach to publishing, this indispensable manual removes much of the mystery surrounding an essential component of an academic career.

During the eighteenth century, theatrical writing developed as a genre. The publishing market responded to a seemingly insatiable appetite for accounts of the personalities, social lives and performances of celebrated entertainers. This series features actors who were significant in their development of new ways of performing Shakespeare.

Nineteenth-century writer Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, has been a controversial part of the French patrimony, and faced various forms of racial prejudice in France because of his biracial ancestry and due to being a descendant of a slave. During the late nineteenth century, the rise of scientific racism and aggressive European imperialism resulted in worldviews supporting European superiority and equated “European” with being “white.” Such developments complicated perceptions of Dumas as part of the French patrimony. French intellectuals and politicians from the late nineteenth-century onward created their own imaginative visions of what Dumas had represented in order to employ them ideologically to support or counter prevailing mainstream views of French history and identity. This collection traces the evolution of Dumas’s legacy as a controversial symbol of France since 1870, as the nation has struggled to deal with colonialism and its aftermath, and increased diversity and globalization.

Especially those who have sensed that the denial of the mother's voice has played a critical role in their own self-alienation and its melancholy moods, will discover that this book has much to offer them as well." Donald Capps, Princeton Theological Seminary --Book Jacket.

Great Shakespeareans offers a systematic account of those figures who have had the greatest influence on the interpretation, understanding and cultural reception of Shakespeare, both nationally and internationally. This major project offers an unprecedented scholarly analysis of the contribution made by the most important Shakespearean critics, editors, actors and directors as well as novelists, poets, composers, and thinkers from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Great Shakespeareans will be an essential resource for students and scholars in Shakespeare studies.