Migrating Shakespeare: First European Encounters, Routes and Networks (Global Shakespeare Inverted)

It is now common practice to talk of global Shakespeare, but this phenomenon is anything but recent. Indeed, it reaches back centuries. There is a rich and varied history of Shakespeare's early migration that has been overlooked and remains to be systematically documented. This volume uniquely unearths the buried histories and unexpected paths by which Shakespeare entered European consciousness, contributing to national cultures and -in some cases - nation building. International scholars examine decisive, inaugurative moments in the reception of Shakespeare, exploring routes of migration, accommodation and relationships with native literary and theatrical traditions. Each essay offers a detailed account and analysis of the history, conditions and reception of Shakespeare within cultural contexts and consciousness. Migrating Shakespeare: First encounters, routes and networks attends to the first wave of Shakespeare's migration across Europe and in so doing enables us to understand how and why Shakespeare has come to acquire his global reach. It reveals how Shakespeare has mediated between cultures and assumed international status.