The Weyward Sisters: Shakespeare and Feminist Politics

In this fresh alternative to traditional Shakespeare studies, Dympna Callaghan, Lorraine Helms, and Jyotsna Singh address Shakespeare′s works in terms of, amongst other things, the feminist history of sexuality, the ideology of romantic love, and feminist interventions in performance. Their objective is to produce new interpretations of the plays by locating them at the intersections of a range of contemporary critical, theoretical, and cultural practices. Drawing on cultural history, psychoanalysis, and performance, the authors provide a materialist feminist account of Shakespeare which attempts to expand the terrain of political approaches to the interpretation of Shakespeare. They write collaboratively, believing that through collaboration they begin to re–define scholarship as a communal enterprise rather than as an isolated, apolitical act.

Introduction. 1. The Interventions of History: Narratives of Sexuality: Jyotsna Singh. 2. The Ideology of Romantic Love: The Case of Romeo and Juliet : Dympna Callaghan. 3. Acts of Resistance: The Feminist Player: Lorraine Helms. Index.

Dympna Callaghan is Associate Professor in the Department of English and Textual Studies, Syracuse University, USA. Lorraine Helms is a writer and performer, based in Santa Cruz, California. Jyotsna Singh is Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Southern Methodist University, USA.

"This is a fine book. An important and original contribution to feminist Shakespeare studies." Phyllis Rackin, University of Pennsylvania "This is a fresh book, which will have an invigorating effect on Shakespeare studies. Nothing quite like it exists, and I imagine a wide audience among Shakespeare scholars and students." Jean Howard, Columbia University