Interlinguicity, internationality, and Shakespeare /

In contrast to several recent essay collections that explore linguistic and cultural translations of Shakespeare's plays--for example, Shakespeare beyond English, ed. by Susan Bennett and Christie Carson (CH, Apr'14, 51-4357)--Interlinguicity, Internationality, and Shakespeare focuses on the early modern era. Far from limiting the scope of the book, this focus actually opens up a wider range of "interlinguicities," or relationships between languages. The first section of the book, "The Meaning of Foreign Languages," challenges assumptions about what Saenger (Southwestern Univ.) calls the "integrity of languages" by examining the relationships between the English of Shakespeare's plays and the Romance and Celtic languages surrounding it, both geographically and in the theater. Taking this challenge a step further, essays by Scott Newstok and Paula Blank in the second section, "Difference within English," demonstrate that Shakespeare's English, and by extension early modern English, was within itself multilingual. Also notable in this section are Patricia Parker's and Lauren Coker's essays, which contribute to the argument that the primary sensory mode for early modern audiences was not sight but hearing. A final section takes up Shakespeare and cultural voice. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Farrah Lehman Den, Modern Language Association