Donovan Sherman

Biography

Donovan Sherman completed his Ph.D. from University of California. His research focuses primarily on Shakespeare and dramatic literature, with additional work in various fields of critical theory (psychoanalysis, political theology, ordinary language philosophy) and performance studies. His first book, Second Death: Theatricalities of the Soul in Shakespeare’s Drama, examines the figure of the soul in early modern England. The book argues that the soul founded itself on an irreconcilable paradox: it must somehow provide the basis of human life while, at the same time, elude all traces of representation. This situation created a symptomatic anxiety in the theatre that can, in turn, be traced in the dramatic work of Shakespeare and his peers. He is currently working on a future project, tentatively titled The Philosopher’s Toothache, that examines the revival of Stoicism in the Renaissance as an embodied, rather than simply theorized, philosophy. He is also a co-author, with Robert Cohen, of the 11th edition of the textbook Theatre, published by McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Research Interest

Shakespeare and dramatic literature, with additional work in various fields of critical theory (psychoanalysis, political theology, ordinary language philosophy) and performance studies.