Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity
Will & Jane: Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity takes a close look at these two celebrated authors’ literary afterlives—and finds some surprising parallels. For both, adaptations and parodies in different eras helped popularize their work and make it more approachable (think Shakespeare Undead and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). Milestone events also increased their fame: for Shakespeare, the much-heralded 1769 Shakespeare Jubilee, and for Austen, a burst of 1990s films and a watershed BBC production. From portraits to porcelain collectibles, branded merchandise, and gravestone rubbings, these two authors have traced intriguingly similar arcs in their posthumous fame. Explore their stories and the nature of celebrity in the 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare's death and the 199th anniversary of Austen’s in 2016.
Reviews
"Lit's Dynamic Duo, Will and Jane, Shared Path to Pop Stardom" (New York Times)
"'Will & Jane' is the Folger's look at how the two authors reflect ourselves" (Washington Post)
Part of The Wonder of Will, a Folger celebration of 400 years of Shakespeare


This exhibition is generously supported by:
May Liang
Roger and Robin Millay
Meet the Curators

Janine Barchas is Professor of English at the University of Texas, where she teaches Austen in Austin. Her publications include Graphic Design, Print Culture, and the Eighteenth-Century Novel (2003), which won the SHARP DeLong prize, and Matters of Fact in Jane Austen: History, Location, and Celebrity (2012). She is also the creator of What Jane Saw (www.whatjanesaw.org), an online gallery that reconstructs two Georgian art exhibitions attended by Jane Austen—including the first-ever Shakespeare museum.

Kristina Straub is Professor of Literary and Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University where she teaches 18th-century British literature, gender studies, and performance theory. Her publications include Divided Fictions (1986, on the novelist Frances Burney), Sexual Suspects (1991, on 18th-century actors) and Domestic Affairs (2008, about servants and masters in 18th-century literature). She is currently editing a new anthology and performance sourcebook of Restoration and 18th-century drama, and writing about 18th-century theatrical performances based on Shakespeare’s plays.
Read
Read a series of blog posts by the Will & Jane curators on Shakespeare & Beyond:
- Jane Austen's Shakespeare - Jane Austen saw at least one Shakespeare play. What did she think of the Bard?
- Collecting Will and Jane - How do souvenirs, from cookie cutters to collector's items, feed these authors' celebrity?
- Will and Jane continued: adaptations, modernizations, and fan fiction - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, 10 Things I Hate About You, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and more!
- Repetition is celebrity: Shakespeare and Austen - Repetition magnifies celebrity, whether it's figurines of different Shakespearean actors in the same pose, or the much-imitated Mr. Darcy lake scene, Plus, some selfies with "The Shirt."
- What turns a good writer into a superstar? 200 years and plenty of spectacle - David Garrick's Shakespeare Jubilee and the BBC's Pride and Prejudice miniseries were watershed moments for Will and Jane.
- Will and Jane go to war - See the Shakespeare plays and Austen novels that American soldiers carried to the front lines.
Watch
Catch a performance of Sense & Sensibility, a new adaptation of Austen's classic novel, onstage at Folger Theatre through Nov 13. Attend a director's talk or post-show cast discussion, and take advantage of a free lesson in English country dancing.
Listen
Listen to a Shakespeare Unlimited podcast episode in which Janine Barchas, co-curator of Will & Jane, talks about the 18th-century Shakespeare craze and the recent online reconstruction of the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.
Take a Quiz
Test your knowledge of Jane Austen and William Shakespeare with this quiz.