Textual Performances

This important collection brings together leading scholars to examine crucial questions regarding the theory and practice of editing Shakespeare’s plays. In particular the essays look at how best to engage editorially with evidence provided by historical research into the playhouse, author’s study, and printing house. How are editors of playscripts to mediate history, in its many forms, for modern users? Considering our knowledge of the past is partial (in the senses both of incomplete and ideological), where are we to draw the line between legitimate editorial assistance and unwarranted interference? In what innovative ways might current controversies surrounding the mediation of Shakespeare’s drama shape future editorial practice? Focusing on the key points of debate and controversy of the present moment, this collection makes a vital contribution to a better understanding of how editorial practice (on the page and in cyberspace) might develop in the twenty-first century.