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TOWARDSAEUROPEANHISTORYOF
HENRYV
11
veryseriously,ifonlyasanincentivetoreflect(a)onourpracticeasEuropeanShake-
speareansmore,and(b)onourmeansofcommunicationwiththerestoftheindustry.
Ontheonehand,itisimperativethatwecontinuetointerrogate,todefine,andtore-
definethenotionof“EuropeanShakespeare,”and,ontheotherhand,itisnolesssig-
nificantclearlytocommunicatetootherswhatitisthatoccupiesus.
ThecriticismthatDouglasBrusterwritesrevealsthat,forreasonsthatstillneedto
becarefullyanalysed,thenotionof“EuropeanShakespeare”or“EUShakespeare”
doesnotautomaticallygeneratepraise,andthatitmayevenelicitadegreeofundesir-
ableEurophobia.OneofourprimarydutiesasEuropeanShakespeareanscertainly
afterthefirstfifteenyearsistodevelopapreparednesstoaddresssuchdissonant
voices,apreparednesstoengageinadebateoverthevirtuesaswellasthevicesof
amultinationalorfederalShakespeare,withinEuropeandbeyond.
Ifthecontinentalacademicswhorepresenttheschoolof“foreignShakespeare”or
“EuropeanShakespeare”or“EUShakespeare”stillwishtohold,asitwere,auseful
mirroruptotheEnglishorAnglo-centredShakespeareindustry,theysimplycanno
longerjustifytheirlabourbysupinelystaringattheirownnationalbelly-buttons,satis-
fied,inthemain,withthemselves,orpreferringtobelievethat“EuropeanShake-
speare”simplyaddressesanymanifestationofShakespeareinEuropeinsteadofat-
temptingtointerprethow“Shakespeare”maysomehowbeconstitutiveofasuprana-
tionalideareachingtowardsacommondenominatorofcontinentalproportions.After
all,suchsupineself-satisfactionisexactlywhatDennisKennedy’slandmarkcollection
ForeignShakespearelaidtothechargeoftheAnglo-orientedShakespeareindustry
beforeitopenedupinthefirstplace.
7Inbrief,“EuropeanShakespeare”canonlycall
itselfafull-fledgedacademicpartnerifeachnationaswellasthefederationreflectson
itspracticeandengagesinacreativedialoguewiththeothers.
Inthispaper,IshallseektodefineandchartwhatIcallaEuropeanhistoryof
HenryV.Forthesakeofconvenience,Ishalldosobycomparingthereceptionhistory
ofthisplayinEurope(adopting,forreasonsofspace,aFrenchfocus),withitscultural
andpoliticalstatusintheUS.Sincethefieldisvast,Ishallbasemycomparisonon
severalhistoricallyspecificeventsofroughlythepastdecade,andinparticularthose
involvingthetwoUS-Iraqwarsa.k.a.operationsDesertStorm(1992)andIraqi
Freedom(2003).Inmycomparativeanalysisofseveralselectedmomentsintherecent
historyofHenryV,myprimaryaimwillbetoillustrateifandhowdifferentanddif-
feringpoliticalviewshavetendedtotranslateintocultural,Shakespeareantermson
eithersideoftheAtlantic,andtoseeifthisprocesscanhelpusdefinemoreclearly
whatwecall“EuropeanShakespeare,”ifsuchathingexists.Ihopethisapproachmay
helpusbringintofocustheaimsandgoalsof“EuropeanShakespeare,”aswellasre-
flectonitsrelevancesince,evenasadie-hardEuropeanShakespearean,Iremaincon-
vincedthattherelevanceofourpursuitisneverautomatic.
7ForeignShakespeare:ContemporaryPerformance,D.Kennedy(ed.),CambridgeUniversityPress,
1993.