ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the growth of Shakespeare language studies in the nineteenth century. It considers the founding of the ‘Shakespeare Society,’ followed by the ‘New Shakspeare Society.’ The conflicts that arose in the latter regarding the best way of undertaking research are described: quantitative methods of ‘measuring and counting’ were supported by Furnivall and Fleay, while Swinburne was in favour of more qualitative methods. The conflict eventually destroyed the Society. The various Shakespeare editions produced in the century are discussed, including simplified and expurgated editions, by such authors as Lamb and Bowdler, intended to make Shakespeare available to all readers. Considerable space is devoted to Abbott’s Shakespearean Grammar, the first comprehensive description of Elizabethan syntax. Various other concordances and glossaries are also given attention, and the beginnings of the Oxford English Dictionary, which used copious citations from Shakespeare, are described.
