OWNING WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Owning William Shakespeare The Kings Men and Their Intellectual Property James J. Marino Who, in the early modern period, laid claim to owning Shakespeares plays? How did the property regimes of print and performance determine the nature of such claims? In tackling these questions, James J. Marino scores some palpable hits.--TLS Expertly blending literary criticism, performance theory, and historical analysis of intellectual property, Marino masterfully argues for the important role the Chamberlains Men/Kings Men played in vigorously maintaining their ownership in and the authenticity of Shakespeares plays.--Choice A thematically dense, insightful book that will engage readers interested in the origins and evolutions of intellectual property law, of the business of early modern drama, and of textual transmissions and adaptations.--Early English Studies In this fascinating study, which brings together literary and textual studies, book and theatre history, the story of how Shakespeares plays came to be created and known as his is told as a story of the Kings Men and their property. Focusing on how intellectual property was created and maintained, Owning William Shakespeare makes important contributions to theatre and book history, puts paid to scholarship premised on the recovery of Shakespeares authorial script, and argues for a radically revised understanding of early modern dramatic texts.--Review of English Studies Owning William Shakespeare tells the story of early modern drama as intellectual property. It does so with energy, urgency, passion, and originality