Shakespeare's White Others

Name: Shakespeare's White Others
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: David Sterling Brown
ISBN: 9798350897586

Author: David Sterling Brown

Narrator: David Sterling Brown

Unabridged: 6 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/13/2024

Categories: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

Synopsis

Examining the racially white 'others' whom Shakespeare creates in characters like Richard III, Hamlet, and Tamora—figures who are never quite 'white enough'—this bold and compelling work emphasizes how such classification perpetuates anti-Blackness and reaffirms white supremacy. David Sterling Brown offers nothing less here than a wholesale deconstruction of whiteness in Shakespeare's plays, arguing that the 'white other' was a racialized category already in formation during the Elizabethan era—and also one to which Shakespeare was himself a crucial contributor. In exploring Shakespeare's determinative role and strategic investment in identity politics (while drawing powerfully on his own life experiences, including adolescence), the author argues that even as Shakespearean theatrical texts functioned as engines of white identity formation, they expose the illusion of white racial solidarity. This essential contribution to Shakespeare studies, critical whiteness studies, and critical race studies is an authoritative, urgent dismantling of dramatized racial profiling.

To access the virtual gallery accompanying this book, please visit https://hubs.mozilla.com/mEd5aWD/david-sterling-brown-gallery-vrv?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=MNE_campaign.

About David Sterling Brown

David Sterling Brown is associate professor of English at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, and a member of the curatorial team for The Racial Imaginary Institute, founded by Claudia Rankine. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Mellon/ACLS Scholars and Society fellowship and the Shakespeare Association of America's Publics Award. Additionally, he is an Executive Board member of the Race Before Race conference series and he serves as dramaturg for the Untitled Othello Project, an ensemble that is reconceptualizing how theatre practitioners engage with Shakespeare's work. His research, teaching, and public speaking interests include African-American literature, drama, mental health, gender, performance, sexuality, and the family.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sage on August 12, 2023

I think I need to read this book again before I can give it a complete review, but my initial response is to be blown away. I haven't read CRT in the context of Shakespeare before, so I had and have a lot to learn, but I feel like this is a good beginning. The notion of the White-Other really rings......more

Goodreads review by J Earl on October 09, 2023

Shakespeare's White Others by David Sterling Brown is an informative read, one that should generate a lot of reflection, yet one that didn't, for me, connect two main themes of the book. The part of the book that is Shakespearean criticism is both fascinating and well-argued. Highlighting the way cer......more

Goodreads review by Jithendra on February 04, 2024

'Shakespeare's White Others' by David Sterling Brown Rating:5/5 Review: "📚✨ 'Shakespeare's White Others' by David Sterling Brown is an absolute literary gem that has left me in awe! 🔥 Brown's exploration of racially white 'others' in Shakespearean characters like Richard III and Hamlet is a profound jo......more

Goodreads review by Gee on August 10, 2024

Shakespears White Others is a literary gem written by the author David Sterling Brown, published in October 2023. Exploring the portrayal of racially white ‘others’ in Shakespeare’s characters such as Richard III, Hamlet, and Tamora – individuals who are perpetually not fully ‘white enough’ – this i......more

Goodreads review by Katie on November 25, 2023

Shakespeare's White Others offers an intriguing premise: studying race in Shakespeare beyond the standard studies of raced characters (Shylock, Othello, Cleopatra) by examining whiteness. Brown carries out this study by distinguishing between the white ideal and the "white other." Its freshness and......more