This study argues that Shakespeare can now be understood as part of public culture. Thanks to the emergence of mass education in the twentieth century, Albanese argues that Shakespeare has become a shared property, despite the depiction of his texts as 'elite' cultural objects in the film industry.
" Extramural Shakespeare makes a powerful case that Shakespeare no longer belongs only to cultural elites, but also to the public and to public culture. Probing Shakespeare's uses in primary and secondary schools, in the movies, in prisons, and elsewhere, Albanese reclaims the progressive possibilities of engagement with his works. Smart, politically engaged, and thoroughly up-to-date, Extramural Shakespeare is a fascinating examination of Shakespeare's place in contemporary culture." - Jean E. Howard, George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University