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I.Introduction.KScratchingtheSurface»
tobypassthetrickyproblemofgenericdistinctions,bothwithintheGoth-
icandinitsrelationtotheappropriatedShakespeareancanonasitwas
carvedoutbytheGothicists.
Ashasbeenincreasinglyrecognisedinmorerecentstudies(Howells,
Clery,Gamer),stagerepresentationsofShakespeare(Garrick9sandSid-
dons9sHamlets,forexample)hadasignificantimpactonthedevelopment
ofGothicfictionanddrama.ShapedundertheShakespeareaninfluence,
theGothichadfromthemomentofitsinceptionaKdramatic»sidetoit.
ThesubsequenttranspositionsoftheGothicmaterialintothetheatrical
mediumcanbeperceivedaspredictableconsequencesoftheseminalten-
dencieswithinthegenreorasduetoitsgenericvagueness.Thus,once
theShakespeareandebtisacknowledged,thegenericproblemraisesits
uglyhead,andthissimplymakesunavoidabletheinclusionofGothicdra-
ma.AstudyofShakespeareaninfluencecannotbeblindtothefactthat
twoofitsfoundingfathers(or,rather,thefoundingfather,Walpole,and
theunrulyimitator,Lewis)wroteGothicdramas.Tellingisthefactthat
JamesBoaden,theadapterofRadcliffeandLewisfortheLondonstage,
wasadevoutadmirerofShakespeare9sKmightymuse,»19aswellassome-
thingofanearlyShakespearescholar,beingauthorofapamphletonthe
Sonnets.ThischallengeofdiscussingbothtypesoftheearlyGothic,fic-
tionanddrama,necessitatesasignificantbroadeningofthescopeofana-
lysis,andrequiresthatwebeawaketoverydifferentmodesofinfluence.
Aswehavealreadyobserved,amongtheexistingevidenceofappro-
priation,theepigraphicusesofShakespearehaveattractedsomecritical
attention.Predictably,therhetoricusedtoaddresstheShakespeareanepi-
graphisthatoftheftorcolonization.ClerydescribesRadcliffe9spractice
ofprefixingindividualchapterswithliteraryquotations,manyofwhich
havebeentakenfromShakespeare,asKtextualkidnapping»andKliter-
arykleptomania.»20Thismetaphoricsissuggestiveofillicitseizureofan-
other9sproperty:KRadcliffebeginstocolonizenewareasofthetextforher
epigraphs,atthestartofeachchapter.»21Leavingasideoverstatements
suchasthis,theShakespeareanepigraphcertainlyisaveryconspicuous
manifestationofliteraryappropriationaswellasbeingaratherpeculiar
textualformation,positionedsomewherebetweenaparaphrase,averbal
allusion,andadirectquotationborderedofffromanKown»textbymeans
oftheusualquotationmarks.AShakespearemotto,besidessayingKIknow
19FromKEpilogue»toFontainvilleForest,69oftheoriginalpagination.Seealso
Cohan9sKIntroduction,»ix.BoadenadaptedRadcliffe9sRomanceoftheForestandThe
Italian,aswellasLewis9sTheMonk.
20E.J.Clery,Women)sGothic.FromClaraReevetoMaryShelley(NorthcoteHouse,
2000),53and57.
21Clery,Women)sGothic,56;myemphasis.
