Othello

by Lena Cowen Orlin (Editor)

With its focus on gender, power, race, sexuality, and violence, Othello is an important site for new critical approaches to the study of Shakespeare's works. Both criticism and culture are represented in this collection of recent essays which provides readers with examples of feminist, new-historicist, cultural materialist, deconstructive, and post-colonial perspectives on Othello . With discussions of recent stage and screen productions, and analysis of the use of the play in such contemporary events as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, this compelling critical volume presents a wide variety of ways of understanding the continuing significance of Shakespeare's play both in his own time and in ours.

Genres: Nonfiction

269 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2003

About the author

Lena Cowen Orlin, Ph.D. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1985; M.A., U.N.C., 1978; B.A., Oberlin College, 1974), is Professor Emerita of English at Georgetown University, former Executive Director of the Folger Institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library 1982–96, and past Executive Director of the Shakespeare Association of America. She taught previously at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she was named Presidential Research Professor.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Trustee of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Chair of the Board of Governors of the New Variorum Shakespeare, a general editor of the Oxford Shakespeare Topics series and the Arden Shakespeare State of Play series, and member of the editorial boards of Shakespeare Studies and Shakespeare Survey.

Reviews

[Tanya]

really enjoyed Singh's essay in particular

[Roux Stellarsphyr]

Othello is not only an entertaining tragedy but lends itself to various readings in some of the major literary theories (postcolonial, feminism, deconstruction, etc.). 9 essays here, each with a summary afterwards in the notes section, and the collection is a wonderful companion to Othello...if not a pretty tough read.