Variable Objects

Examines Shakespeare fragments as agents of appropriation

Draws on new theoretical approaches that re-centre Shakespeare as the axis of the appropriative act
Adds new concepts to appropriation studies that expand the debates over textual fidelity, with particular emphasis on new materialist approaches

Drawing on new materialism and object-oriented ontology, Variable Objects proposes that Shakespeare is a vibrant object replete with a variable energy that accounts for its infinite meaning-making capacity. Using critical race theory, object oriented feminism, performance studies, Global Shakespeares, media studies and game theory, the collection's essays explore the dialogic relationship between the Shakespeare object and its appropriation. Each chapter demonstrates that instead of moving away from the source of appropriation, an object-oriented approach can centralise Shakespeare without the constraints of outdated notions of fidelity. Highlighting the variable materiality inherent in Shakespeare, the collection foregrounds the political ecologies of literary objects as a new methodology for adaptation studies.