Donald Hedrick – författare

In this bold, original study Hedrick proposes an early modern ‘entertainment value’ revolution, to which Shakespeare contributed and in which he played a competitive role.As London’s nascent capitalist industry developed and the variety of entertainments proliferated, theatre contributes to the birth of entertainment value and a commercial trajectory toward what Marxist critic Adorno theorizes as ‘fun,’ seen contemporaneously in LasVegasization and the election of Donald Trump to U.S. Presidency.In this innovative approach to Shakespeare’s plays through their compulsory, competitive relation to other choices from London’s entertainment industry, such as sex work and gaming, Hedrick recovers a coherent internal dynamic of theatre’s ‘pleasure enclosure’ accompanying the revolutionary logic of capital’s new cultural and economic extremes.Applying these relations to original, insightful readings of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Winter’s Tale, and The Taming of the Shrew, Hedrick draws from cultural studies, contemporary and personal parallels, wide-ranging historical materials, and political theory. These include: the semantic shifts in keywords of pleasure, the practice of betting on actors, the psychology of paying admission before an entertainment, and various ‘reality shows’ such as contests of prose and verse. Continual insights emerge, both broad and specific: from ten ‘entertainment value axioms’ to Shakespeare’s awareness of entertainment value’s birth at moments in his late plays, marking a logic of value crisis, bubbles, and the danger of ‘too much fun.’

In this bold, original study Hedrick proposes an early modern ''entertainment value'' revolution, to which Shakespeare contributed and in which he played a competitive role.As London''s nascent capitalist industry developed and the variety of entertainments proliferated, theatre contributes to the birth of entertainment value and a commercial trajectory toward what Marxist critic Adorno theorizes as ''fun,'' seen contemporaneously in LasVegasization and the election of Donald Trump to U.S. Presidency.In this innovative approach to Shakespeare''s plays through their compulsory, competitive relation to other choices from London''s entertainment industry, such as sex work and gaming, Hedrick recovers a coherent internal dynamic of theatre''s ''pleasure enclosure'' accompanying the revolutionary logic of capital''s new cultural and economic extremes. Applying these relations to original, insightful readings of A Midsummer Night''s Dream, The Winter''s Tale, and The Taming of the Shrew, Hedrick draws from cultural studies, contemporary and personal parallels, wide-ranging historical materials, and political theory. These include: the semantic shifts in keywords of pleasure, the practice of betting on actors, the psychology of paying admission before an entertainment, and various ''reality shows'' such as contests of prose and verse. Continual insights emerge, both broad and specific: from ten ''entertainment value axioms'' to Shakespeare''s awareness of entertainment value''s birth at moments in his late plays, marking a logic of value crisis, bubbles, and the danger of ''too much fun.''

In this bold, original study Hedrick proposes an early modern ''entertainment value'' revolution, to which Shakespeare contributed and in which he played a competitive role.As London''s nascent capitalist industry developed and the variety of entertainments proliferated, theatre contributes to the birth of entertainment value and a commercial trajectory toward what Marxist critic Adorno theorizes as ''fun,'' seen contemporaneously in LasVegasization and the election of Donald Trump to U.S. Presidency.In this innovative approach to Shakespeare''s plays through their compulsory, competitive relation to other choices from London''s entertainment industry, such as sex work and gaming, Hedrick recovers a coherent internal dynamic of theatre''s ''pleasure enclosure'' accompanying the revolutionary logic of capital''s new cultural and economic extremes. Applying these relations to original, insightful readings of A Midsummer Night''s Dream, The Winter''s Tale, and The Taming of the Shrew, Hedrick draws from cultural studies, contemporary and personal parallels, wide-ranging historical materials, and political theory. These include: the semantic shifts in keywords of pleasure, the practice of betting on actors, the psychology of paying admission before an entertainment, and various ''reality shows'' such as contests of prose and verse. Continual insights emerge, both broad and specific: from ten ''entertainment value axioms'' to Shakespeare''s awareness of entertainment value''s birth at moments in his late plays, marking a logic of value crisis, bubbles, and the danger of ''too much fun.''

In this bold, original study Hedrick proposes an early modern ‘entertainment value’ revolution, to which Shakespeare contributed and in which he played a competitive role.As London’s nascent capitalist industry developed and the variety of entertainments proliferated, theatre contributes to the birth of entertainment value and a commercial trajectory toward what Marxist critic Adorno theorizes as ‘fun,’ seen contemporaneously in LasVegasization and the election of Donald Trump to U.S. Presidency.In this innovative approach to Shakespeare’s plays through their compulsory, competitive relation to other choices from London’s entertainment industry, such as sex work and gaming, Hedrick recovers a coherent internal dynamic of theatre’s ‘pleasure enclosure’ accompanying the revolutionary logic of capital’s new cultural and economic extremes.Applying these relations to original, insightful readings of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Winter’s Tale, and The Taming of the Shrew, Hedrick draws from cultural studies, contemporary and personal parallels, wide-ranging historical materials, and political theory. These include: the semantic shifts in keywords of pleasure, the practice of betting on actors, the psychology of paying admission before an entertainment, and various ‘reality shows’ such as contests of prose and verse. Continual insights emerge, both broad and specific: from ten ‘entertainment value axioms’ to Shakespeare’s awareness of entertainment value’s birth at moments in his late plays, marking a logic of value crisis, bubbles, and the danger of ‘too much fun.’

This edited volume seeks to combine and highlight the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching by exploring and reflecting on the ways in which Cultural Studies is taught and practiced at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in the US and internationally. Contributors create a space where connections among Cultural Studies practitioners across generations and locations are formed. Because the alliances built by Cultural Studies practitioners in the U.S. and the global north are deeply shaped by the global south/Third World perspectives, this book extends an invitation to teachers and practitioners in and outside of the US, including those who may offer a transnational perspective on teaching and practicing Cultural Studies. This volume promises to be a trailblazing collection of first-rate essays by leading and emerging figures in the field of Cultural Studies.

This edited volume seeks to combine and highlight the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching by exploring and reflecting on the ways in which Cultural Studies is taught and practiced at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in the US and internationally. Contributors create a space where connections among Cultural Studies practitioners across generations and locations are formed. Because the alliances built by Cultural Studies practitioners in the U.S. and the global north are deeply shaped by the global south/Third World perspectives, this book extends an invitation to teachers and practitioners in and outside of the US, including those who may offer a transnational perspective on teaching and practicing Cultural Studies. This volume promises to be a trailblazing collection of first-rate essays by leading and emerging figures in the field of Cultural Studies.