Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone, As You Like It.
There is perhaps no other author as synonymous with English literature asWilliam Shakespeare.
His worksfrom the tragedy ofRomeo and Julietto the wicked ambition ofMacbethcontinue to capture the imagination of the public.
“Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone,” As You Like It. The Plays of William Shakespeare / Edited and Annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke / Illustrated by H. C. Selous. Published 1864–68.
Though many academics have studied the playwright,Dr.
Michael John Goodmanapproached his work from a new angle.
Read on for our exclusive interview.
“Ophelia.” The Works of Shakespeare / Edited by Howard Staunton / The Illustrations by John Gilbert. Published 1867.
The Works of Shakespeare / Edited by Howard Staunton / The Illustrations by John Gilbert.
What do you think it is about Shakespeare that makes his work so enduring?
This is such an interesting question and I think there are a couple of inter-related responses.
‘King Lear and the Fool' from The Works of Shakespeare / Edited by Howard Staunton / The Illustrations by John Gilbert / Engraved by the Dalziel Brothers / Vol. 3. Published 1867.
Shakespeare' always creates meaning with and is entwined and defined by the technology of the day.
King Henry V Introduction.
How did you settle upon this topic for your Ph.D. project?
“King Henry V” Introduction. The Plays of William Shakespeare / Edited and Annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke / Illustrated by H. C. Selous. Published 1864–68.
I knew if I was going to do a Ph.D. At the time I was thinking through ideas, I was also studying a module for my M.A.
The digital aspect of the project came about as when I was doing my research.
The Works of Shakspere / Illustrated with Engravings on Wood by Kenny Meadows.
“Cleopatra.” The Works of Shakspere / Illustrated with Engravings on Wood by Kenny Meadows. Published 1846.
Academia, whether consciously or sub-consciously, seems to privilege gatekeeping above all else.
It is an attitude I want to shake up somewhat.
I hope VISA makes a positive intervention and contribution to these discussions.
“Ariel Plays a Trick,” The Tempest. The Works of Shakspere / Illustrated with Engravings on Wood, From Designs by Kenny Meadows. Published 1846.
Ariel Plays a Trick, The Tempest.
The Works of Shakspere / Illustrated with Engravings on Wood, From Designs by Kenny Meadows.
What was the first illustration that really grabbed your attention and why?
“Othello” Act I Header. The Works of Shakspere /Illustrated with Engravings on Wood, From Designs by Kenny Meadows. Published 1846.
The first image that really grabbed my attention was the main illustration to The Tempest by Kenny Meadows.
It was just so peculiar with a real unsettling undercurrent.
Othello Act I Header.
“The Taming of the Shrew” introduction. The Works of Shakspere / Illustrated with Engravings on Wood, from Designs by Kenny Meadows. Published 1846.
The Works of Shakspere /Illustrated with Engravings on Wood, From Designs by Kenny Meadows.
How long did it take you to gather the material?
The archive consists of these Shakespeare editions and contains around 3,200 illustrations.
“Fairies’ Song” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.The Works of Shakespeare / Edited by Howard Staunton / The Illustrations by John Gilbert. Published 1865.
It did not take long to gather the material.
None of it is particularly rare, as they were hugely popular in the Victorian period.
What is rare, however, is to find all these editions in one place at the same time.
“Imogen.” The Plays of William Shakespeare / Edited and Annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke / Illustrated by H. C. Selous. Published 1864–68.
The Taming of the Shrew introduction.
The Works of Shakspere / Illustrated with Engravings on Wood, from Designs by Kenny Meadows.
Whereas a painting will depict a single scene from a play, the illustrated plays are in a series.
“The Two Gentlemen of Verona” introduction. The Pictorial Edition of the Works of Shakspere / Edited by Charles Knight / Illustrated by William Harvey. Published 1839–42.
They pictorially, taken as a wholelike frames from a filmtell a narrative.
The process from scanning in the plays to what you see on the screen is a lengthy one.
When a play has been scanned in I then use Photoshop to clean up' each illustration.
This has all been done single-handedly by me for each illustration over 3000 of them!
Why was it important for you to make the material available online?
Making this material accessible in a user-friendly way was hugely important to me.
Importantly, these editions are only ever available to scholars in academic libraries.
How does this portrayal differ throughout the Victorian era?
Are particular characters or plays more illustrated than others?
Does this signify the popularity or otherwise of these characters or plays?
Are there pertinent gender, identity, or colonial implications in these representations?
Underpinning the project is my strong belief that an online academic resource can be both scholarly rigorous and user-friendly.
I felt quite frustrated with the insularity of much of academia and the complacency towards public engagement.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona introduction.
The Pictorial Edition of the Works of Shakspere / Edited by Charles Knight / Illustrated by William Harvey.
