Laura Pelaschiar 
Joyce / Shakespeare 

Shakespeare’s presence in Joyce’s work is tentacular, extending throughout his career on many different levels: cultural, structural, lexical, and psychological; yet a surprisingly long time has passed since the last monograph on this literary nexus was published.
Joyce/Shakespeare brings together fresh work by internationally recognized Joyce scholars on these two icons, reinvigorating our understanding of Joyce at play with the Bard. One way these essays revitalize the discussion is by moving well beyond the traditional Joycean challenge of ‘thinking Shakespearean’ by ‘thinking Hamletian, ‘ redefining the field to include works like
Troilus and Cressida,
Othello, and
The Tempest. This collection also transforms our understanding of how
Hamlet works in and for Joyce. In compelling essays that introduce new variables to the equation such as Trieste, Goethe, and Futurism, Hamlet’s role in Joyce gains fresh mobility. The Danish prince’s shadow, we learn, can still cast itself in unpredictable shapes, making
Joyce/Shakespeare as rewarding in its analyses of this well-studied pairing as it is when it considers fresh Shakespearean matches.

Circa l’autore

Laura Pelaschiar is a lecturer in English literature at the University of Trieste. She is director of the Trieste Joyce School and author of
Writing the North: The Contemporary Novel in Modern Ireland.