About the Book:

A clear introduction to the idea of the canon, exploring the process by which certain works, and not others, receive high cultural status. The work of Shakespeare and Aphra Behn (one of early literature's best-known female writers) is used to illustrate and challenge this process.

In Shakespeare, Aphra Behn and the Canon you are introduced to three of Shakespeare's best known plays — Henry V, Othello and As You Like It — and a Restoration comedy, Aphra Behn's The Rover. The aim is to explore the concept of the literary canon and the complex process by which certain authors and works are accorded a high cultural status. Shakespeare personifies the canonical author, while Aphra Behn (the first professional woman writer, whose work was tremendously popular and controversial in the 17th century) has been largely ignored until her recent rediscovery by feminist critics. No previous knowledge of either Shakespeare or Aphra Behn is assumed: both authors are introduced and their works are placed in context. Each chapter offers practical exercises in analyzing key passages of text and criticism, followed by detailed discussion. The text of The Rover is included here, fully modernized and with explanatory notes.

Lizbeth Goodman is Professor of Inclusive Design for Education and Chair of Creative Technology Innovation at University College Dublin, where she is an Executive Board member of the Innovation Academy.

W. R. Owens is Professor of English Literature at at the University of Bedfordshire. He has published widely on English literature of the seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries, in particular the writings of John Bunyan and Daniel Defoe.