LEADER 04461nam 2200709Ia 450 001 9910452337703321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a0-8014-6469-2 010 $a0-8014-6422-6 024 7 $a10.7591/9780801464225 035 $a(CKB)2550000000100416 035 $a(OCoLC)794620733 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10559174 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000658645 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11414880 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000658645 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10691755 035 $a(PQKB)10306917 035 $a(StDuBDS)EDZ0001499248 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3138325 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse28920 035 $a(DE-B1597)478582 035 $a(OCoLC)821154525 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780801464225 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3138325 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10559174 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL681822 035 $a(OCoLC)922998242 035 $a(EXLCZ)992550000000100416 100 $a20111214d2012 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur||||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aShe hath been reading$b[electronic resource] $ewomen and Shakespeare clubs in America /$fKatherine West Scheil 210 $aIthaca $cCornell University Press$d2012 215 $a1 online resource (256 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 $a1-322-50540-3 311 $a0-8014-5042-X 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $tFrontmatter -- $tContents -- $tPreface -- $tAcknowledgments -- $tIntroduction: Origins -- $tChapter 1. Reading -- $tChapter 2. The Home -- $tChapter 3. The Outpost -- $tChapter 4. Shakespeare and Black Women's Clubs -- $tConclusion -- $tAppendix: Shakespeare Clubs in America -- $tNotes -- $tBibliography -- $tIndex 330 $aIn the late nineteenth century hundreds of clubs formed across the United States devoted to the reading of Shakespeare. From Pasadena, California, to the seaside town of Camden, Maine; from the isolated farm town of Ottumwa, Iowa, to Mobile, Alabama, on the Gulf coast, Americans were reading Shakespeare in astonishing numbers and in surprising places. Composed mainly of women, these clubs offered the opportunity for members not only to read and study Shakespeare but also to participate in public and civic activities outside the home. In She Hath Been Reading, Katherine West Scheil uncovers this hidden layer of intellectual activity that flourished in American society well into the twentieth century.Shakespeare clubs were crucial for women's intellectual development because they provided a consistent intellectual stimulus (more so than was the case with most general women's clubs) and because women discovered a world of possibilities, both public and private, inspired by their reading of Shakespeare. Indeed, gathering to read and discuss Shakespeare often led women to actively improve their lot in life and make their society a better place. Many clubs took action on larger social issues such as women's suffrage, philanthropy, and civil rights. At the same time, these efforts served to embed Shakespeare into American culture as a marker for learning, self-improvement, civilization, and entertainment for a broad array of populations, varying in age, race, location, and social standing.Based on extensive research in the archives of the Folger Shakespeare Library and in dozens of local archives and private collections across America, She Hath Been Reading shows the important role that literature can play in the lives of ordinary people. As testament to this fact, the book includes an appendix listing more than five hundred Shakespeare clubs across America. 606 $aBook clubs (Discussion groups)$zUnited States$xHistory 606 $aWomen$zUnited States$xSocieties and clubs$xHistory 606 $aWomen$xBooks and reading$zUnited States$xHistory 606 $aWomen$zUnited States$xIntellectual life 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aBook clubs (Discussion groups)$xHistory. 615 0$aWomen$xSocieties and clubs$xHistory. 615 0$aWomen$xBooks and reading$xHistory. 615 0$aWomen$xIntellectual life. 676 $a822.3/3 700 $aScheil$b Katherine West$f1966-$01055452 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910452337703321 996 $aShe hath been reading$92488877 997 $aUNINA