The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 47, September, 1861 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

In September 1861 the Atlantic Monthly devoted an article to the storm that erupted over a newly published edition of Shakespeare's plays. The piece opens by recalling the jubilant optimism of 1853, when Mr. Collier's 'Notes and Emendations' seemed to settle the text once and for all, only to be met a decade later by scholars demanding a more critical examination. The writer sketches the back-and-forth between American admirers and British critics, each adding its own flavor to the controversy and setting the stage for a larger debate about textual authority.

Readers are guided through the maze of responses—from the British Museum's paleographers to the Edinburgh Review, Fraser's Magazine, and a scathing pamphlet by an anonymous ‘Literary Cookery’ author—each voice adds its own flavor to the dispute. The article also surveys Dr. Mansfield Ingleby's exhaustive, sharply partisan counter‑attack, offering a clear roadmap for anyone wanting to see how a scholarly quarrel can become a public spectacle. By the end of this opening act, listeners will appreciate the intertwined worlds of literary scholarship, national pride, and the stubborn quest for a definitive Shakespeare.