Alice Leonard
Doctoral Researcher in English Literature
Supervisors: Prof. Thomas Docherty and Professor Margaret Tudeau-Clayton
Thesis Title: Shakespeare Beyond Rhetoric: Error in Early Modern Drama
My thesis is a study of early literary theory and practice in Renaissance England which focuses specifically on Shakespeare’s language use. The starting point is the idea that Renaissance rhetoric is defined by the humanist revival of classical eloquence, prizing clear and distinct speech. A large body of criticism aligns Shakespearean drama with this movement, even claiming it to be staged rhetoric. I am interested in the ways Shakespeare subverts rhetoric and goes beyond the prescriptive rules for ‘correct’ language use.
I focus on the moments of Shakespeare's language that betray difficulty, inarticulateness, illogicity, a collapse of meaning -- Shakespeare's mistakes or 'error', taking the early modern meaning of the word as a 'wandering' rather than just being straightforwardly wrong. ‘Incorrect’ language more generally encompasses linguistic difference and I am also interested in the representation of other languages in Shakespeare, raising larger questions about national identity and the ownership of language. The focus of my thesis is on Shakespeare's early plays: Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors and Love's Labour's Lost, but with wider attention to Renaissance ideas about language.
I am a third year student working on a joint project between the University of Warwick and the Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Research Interests
I am interested in Shakespeare, Renaissance drama and the idea of a ‘Renaissance theory of language’. More broadly, I am interested in textual editing, multilingualism, the philosophy of language and twentieth and twenty first century literary theory.
Academic Background
BA in English Literature and Philosophy, University of Wales, Cardiff. Dissertation: 'Shakespeare's Versions of Providence'. Supervisor: Professor Martin Coyle
MA in English Literature, Shakespeare: History and Theory, University of Wales, Cardiff. Dissertation: 'Shared Knowledge in Montaigne's Essais and Shakespeare's King Lear'. Supervisor: Professor Richard Wilson
Contact me:
A dot K dot Leonard at warwick dot ac dot uk
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