Curating Shakespeare in the North

Adam Hansen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

During April and May 2016, the Library of the Literary and Philosophical Society in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) hosted Shakespeare in the North, an exhibition of some of its almost one thousand holdings related to Shakespeare. The aim was not only to celebrate Shakespeare in that significant year, but also to celebrate the Library, as a great Shakespearean institution, albeit one seemingly at some remove from what Martin Orkin has termed ‘the Shakespeare metropolitan academy’. Does an exhibition like this at an institution like the Lit and Phil query our assumptions about the location of cultural capital? This chapter addresses this question by discussing the exhibition’s genesis, aims, and the practicalities and success of their fulfilment, drawing on the experiences of those involved in curating the exhibition and related events in the Library, and reflecting on their aspirations for these. Attention is also paid to other Shakespeare celebrations in Newcastle at that time, including the City Library’s own Shakespearean display.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMemorialising Shakespeare
Subtitle of host publicationCommemoration and Collective Identity, 1916–2016
EditorsEdmund G. C. King, Monika Smialkowska
Place of PublicationCham
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages249-273
Number of pages25
ISBN (Electronic)9783030840136
ISBN (Print)9783030840129
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2022

Publication series

NamePalgrave Shakespeare Studies
ISSN (Print)2731-3204
ISSN (Electronic)2731-3212

Keywords

  • Britain
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Shakespeare

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