Looking for Hamlet

by Marvin W. Hunt

A mysterious, melancholic, brooding Hamlet has gripped and fascinated four hundred years' of readers, trying to "find" and know him as he searches for and avenges his father's name. Setting itself apart from the usual discussions about Hamlet, Hunt here demonstrates that Hamlet is much more than we take him to be. Much more than the sum of his parts--more than just tragic, sexy youth and more than just vain cruelty--Hamlet is a reflection of our own aspirations and neuroses. Looking for Hamlet investigates our many searches for Hamlet, from their origins in Danish mythology through the complex problems of early printed texts, through the centuries of shifting interpretations of the young prince to our own time when Hamlet is more compelling and perplexing than ever before. Hunt presents Hamlet as a sort of missing person, the idealized being inside oneself. This search for the missing Hamlet, Hunt argues, reveals a present absence readers pursue as a means of finding and identifying ourselves.

Genres: Shakespeare, Literary Criticism

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Colin Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overview of academic/literary ideas about throughout history; would have benefitted from more inclusion of performance history.

[Mary's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some very interesting ideas about "Hamlet" and Hamlet(the character) in this book. But it seemed that Mr. Hunt could not make up his mind what kind of book he wanted to write--a popular book for the reader interested in theories about Hamlet, or a book for academics. He does an admirable job of tracing the Hamlet studies through the centuries, outlining the different approaches from the Classical approach in the early 18th century to Romanticism and on to Modernism and the psychological ideas of Freud. But when he gets to the mid and late 20th century, the book bogs down in the deep pit of postmodernism and post-postmodernism. Academic feuds and ideas so dense that he is unable to explain them bring the book to a dead stop.
There are a few regrettable passages where Mr. Hunt's personal experiences are inserted. Other than giving a clear point of view of what it is like to be an unwitting partner in academic crossfire, these passages detracted from the purpose of the book. Hell has no fury like a scholar who thinks that he has been insulted.
Hunt does some excellent work on the role of the Ghost, his reality and notions in Shakespeeare's time about heaven, hell, and purgatory. There is a very amusing passage about rules for ghosts. The religious scholars of the 16th century had very definite ideas about what a ghost could and could not do, and how to determine if it was a demon or something more benign.
This book is only for someone who is truly interested in an overview of scholarly approaches to "Hamlet". At about 200 pages and with only vague bibliographic notes, it is not going to be useful to more serious scholars, although Hunt does point the way to other reading.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.