Celebrating Shakespeare: Commemoration and Cultural Memory. Ed. Clara Calvo and Coppélia Kahn.

• Irena R. Makaryk

Celebrating Shakespeare: Commemoration and Cultural Memory, a handsome volume of fifteen essays, ably edited by Clara Calvo and Coppélia Kahn, analyzes the way in which commemorative practices have shaped our idea of Shakespeare and have helped create a powerful cultural institution or, as Graham Holderness has termed it, a “myth.” Rather than comprehensive coverage, the volume deals with high points of celebration (most notably, 1816, 1864, 1916, and 1964), as well as with a number of commemorative forms that generally fall outside the purview of official celebrations. The volume’s ultimate aim is not only to understand the various tropes used to celebrate Shakespeare but also to see how they are embedded in various debates and discourses, and thus to examine how they contribute to Shakespeare’s ability to endure in cultural memory.