Shakespeare study, its controversy and re-evaluation in the context of globalization: an interview with professor David Scott Kastan

Dr. David Scott Kastan, professor of Yale University, is one of the important scholars in the fields of Shakespeare study. He has edited various anthologies of criticism on Shakespeare and other literary figures, including A Companion to Shakespeare, A New Companion to Shakespeare and the five-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. In this interview, Professor Kastan gives detailed answers to the issues concerning Shakespeare's political outlooks, religion, narrative, and theory of tragedy. In regards to the controversies about Shakespeare such as authorship, plagiarism and eroticism, Professor Kastan definitely refutes all the accusations. He points out the significance of studying Shakespeare in the context of globalization, criticizes the vulgarization of the bard by the Shakespeare industry, and affirms Chinese scholars' approaches to Shakespeare study and the importance of dialogues between Chinese and Western Shakespeare scholars.