Shakespeare as a Dramatic Artist: A Popular Illustration of the Principles of Scientific Criticism

Written by British American critic Richard Moulton (1849–1924), this influential study of Shakespeare's dramatic technique introduces Moulton's 'prescience' of scientific criticism, an approach to literature that would later develop into modern literary theory. Moulton, who served as professor of English literature at Chicago, stated that his object was to 'claim for criticism a position amongst the inductive sciences, and to sketch in outline a plan for the dramatic side of such a critical science', arguing that Shakespeare's genius lay in his mastery of his dramatic art as much as in his deep knowledge of human nature. Published in 1893, this third edition expands significantly on the material in the first edition (1885) and the second (1888), as Moulton includes analysis of three additional Shakespearean plays, using work that had originally been presented to the New Shakespeare Society of London. Subsequent editions were produced in 1897 and 1906.