Derrida Reads Shakespeare - (Edinburgh Critical Studies in Shakespeare and Philosophy) by Chiara Alfano (Paperback)

About the Book

This book brings to light Derrida's rich and thought-provoking discussions of Shakespearean drama.

Book Synopsis

Explores Jacques Derrida's distinctive approach to Shakespeare
Offers the first comprehensive and accessible account and discussion of Derrida's engagement with ShakespeareChallenges the way we have traditionally come to think about the interdisciplinary relationship between literature and philosophy, as well as literary geniusContextualises Derrida's readings of Shakespeare within his wider philosophical project and discusses in how far they relate to - or are distinct from - his engagement with other dramatic or literary works
This book brings to light Derrida's rich and thought-provoking discussions of Shakespearean drama. Contextualising Derrida's readings of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and King Lear within his wider philosophical project, Alfano explores what draws Derrida to Shakespeare and what makes him particularly suitable for philosophical thought. The author also makes the case for Derrida's singular understanding of the relationship between philosophy and Shakespeare and his radical idea of what literary genius is.

From the Back Cover

Explores Jacques Derrida's distinctive approach to Shakespeare This book brings to light Derrida's rich and thought-provoking discussions of Shakespearean drama. Contextualising Derrida's readings of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and King Lear within his wider philosophical project, Alfano explores what draws Derrida to Shakespeare and what makes him particularly suitable for philosophical thought. The author also makes the case for Derrida's singular understanding of the relationship between philosophy and Shakespeare and his radical idea of what literary genius is. Chiara Alfano is Lecturer and Academic Development Associate at New College of the Humanities.

Review Quotes

From the present tense of its title onwards, Derrida Reads Shakespeare offers a vital, fresh, richly interesting study of its topic, as well as a valuable reflection on the relations - very old, very new - between literature and philosophy.-- "Nicholas Royle, University of Sussex"

About the Author

Chiara Alfano is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Kingston University. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh. She has published four peer-reviewed articles, three of them on Derrida, and is the co-editor of Desire in Ashes: Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis, Philosophy (forthcoming with Bloomsbury in 2015). She is also reviews editor at The Oxford Literary Review.