This study traces the reception of Shakespeare in the critical literature from the end of Victorianism to the present day. It charts a course through the turbulent waters of the 20th-century's intense and prolific engagement with Shakespeare, dramatist and poet.

Preface ; List of Illustrations ; 1. Introduction ; 2. The Age of Bradley ; 3. Formalist Criticism of Shakespeare ; 4. Shakespeare in the Theatre (and the Theatre in Shakespeare) ; 5. Shakespeare in History and History in Shakespeare ; 6. Shakespeare from the Margins ; Notes ; List of Works Consulted ; Index

`this account, however evenminded, also broadcasts a bracing handful of salutary advisos.' Claire Preston, Times Higher Education Supplement, 1 June 2001 `The end of the 20th century was a ceremonial occasion on which to mark and reassess all these Shakespeares of the past hundred years, and possibly to refocus the interpretive enterprise in certain ways. Michael Taylor is a shrewd and lively chronicler of this eventful history ... pleasantly chatty ... balanced and realatively informal ... Although Taylor himself is not fundamentally sceptical or suspicious, he has the delicacy to refrain from approval or disdain, letting the better and the sillier voices alike speak for themselves.' Claire Preston, Times Higher Education Supplement, 1 June 2001 `Taylor ... proves a most congenial guide on this conducted tour of 20th-century criticism ... Taylor's asides and judgements are wryly perceptive ... an admirable introduction to a dauntingly vast topic.' Rex Gibson, Around the Globe, April 2001 `Review from previous edition [Of first batch of titles from series]; 'a new series of handsomely produced volumes. . . . [Of Staging in Shakespeare's Theatres:] students could not wish for a better introduction to the resources and conventions of the original Globe than the opening chapters . . . Shakespeare and Eastern Europe by Zdenek Stríbrný is full of interest . . . [Of Shakespeare's Dramatic Genres:] witty and accessible in style, broad in range but with no sacrifice of depth, equally attuned to the theatrical practice and the literary theory of Shakespeare's time . . . in every respect, it answers to the remit of the series and can be warmly recommended to both playgoers and students at every level.'' Jonathan Bate, Times Literary Supplement

A unique overview of twentieth-century Shakespeare critics and critical approaches - from Bradley and L. C. Knights to Greenblatt, Eagleton, Sinfield, and many others. Arranged chronologically, it surveys the main movements and traces similarities as well as differences in the currents of critical thought throughout the century. Succinct and accessible - a must for every student of Shakespeare.

Professor, University of New Brunswick, 1975-93 (retired). Editor of Middleton: Four City Comedies (OWC, 1995); author of sections in Wells, ed., Shakespeare: Select Bibliographical Guide (OUP 1990] and Wells, ed., English Drama: Select Bibliographical Guide (OUP 1975); and author of numerous articles on Shakespeare, Renaissance drama, and fiction.

A unique overview of twentieth-century Shakespeare critics and critical approaches - from Bradley and L. C. Knights to Greenblatt, Eagleton, Sinfield, and many others. Arranged chronologically, it surveys the main movements and traces similarities as well as differences in the currents of critical thought throughout the century. Succinct and accessible - a must for every student of Shakespeare.