Shakespeare as a Dramatic Artist: A Popular Illustration of the Principles of Scientific Criticism

WrittenbyBritishAmericancriticRichardMoulton(1849–1924),thisinfluentialstudyofShakespeare'sdramatictechniqueintroducesMoulton's'prescience'ofscientificcriticism,anapproachtoliteraturethatwouldlaterdevelopintomodernliterarytheory.Moulton,whoservedasprofessorofEnglishliteratureatChicago,statedthathisobjectwasto'claimforcriticismapositionamongsttheinductivesciences,andtosketchinoutlineaplanforthedramaticsideofsuchacriticalscience',arguingthatShakespeare'sgeniuslayinhismasteryofhisdramaticartasmuchasinhisdeepknowledgeofhumannature.Publishedin1893,thisthirdeditionexpandssignificantlyonthematerialinthefirstedition(1885)andthesecond(1888),asMoultonincludesanalysisofthreeadditionalShakespeareanplays,usingworkthathadoriginallybeenpresentedtotheNewShakespeareSocietyofLondon.Subsequenteditionswereproducedin1897and1906.