The Holberg Conversation 2016: Stephen Greenblatt

Stephen Greenblatt, John Cogan University Professor at Harvard University, is the 2016 Holberg Laureate. In this interview Greenblatt shares his thoughts on the role of New Historicism in literary studies, the socio-economic changes in the US in the 1960's and 1970's, and how the work of William Shakespeare is still relevant today, 400 years after his death. Greenblatt is interviewed by Charles Ivan Armstrong, Professor of English Literature at the University of Agder.

SHORTCUTS
The Birth of New Historicism. 0:16
The New in New Historicism. 04:28
Radicalism and the Civil Rights Movement. 07:48
New Historicism and the Escape from Routine. 14:55
The Literary Medium. 20:46
Why Shakespeare Is Still Alive. 26:59
Shakespeare’s Life-Making. 30:32
Shakespeare’s Characters. 32:34
Shylock and the Mixing of Genres. 35:54
Shylock in a Post-Holocaust Context. 38:17
Jewish Heritage. 42:37
Manipulating the Audience. 45:38
Cultural Mobility and The Story of Adam and Eve. 48:43
Milton’s Version of Adam and Eve. 53:09
Christian Beliefs. 54:52
The Crisis of the Humanities. 58:28

The production is a collaboration between the Holberg Prize and the University of Bergen.