Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-297) and index

"A unique addition to the Shakespearean canon, this book begins where most Shakespeare stories end, with his death in 1616. Jack Lynch has written the definitive biography of William Shakespeare's afterlife - two hundred years during which Shakespeare grew from a modestly successful provincial playwright to the lofty status of transcendent genius at the heart of English culture." "Becoming Shakespeare recounts the long and winding posthumous road down which the Bard's reputation traveled. Beginning with the revival of his plays, continuing through the decades when his work was co-opted and "improved upon" by politicians and other playwrights, this story culminates with the bardolatry of the Stratford celebration of Shakespeare's three-hundredth birthday in 1864. Becoming Shakespeare is essential reading not only for his ardent fans, but also for anyone interested in celebrity and the often complicated path from obscurity to fame."--BOOK JACKET