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ACknowlEdgmEnts The story of this project reflects the kind of organic processes I have identified in the works of Shakespeare. My first foray into the canker and the rose was in a 2005 seminar on Shakespeare’s sonnets , taught by Theodore Leinwand at the University of Maryland. With his continued support, and under the extraordinary direction of the late Marshall Grossman, the project developed into a doctoral thesis and, from there, it naturally grew into a book. I am deeply grateful to them for their generous commitment to my scholarship. Without their remarkable guidance, I could not have written this book. At the University of Maryland, I am indebted as well to Kent Cartwright, Kim Coles, and Giuseppe Falvo for advice that has proven invaluable as this project has progressed. I am also fortunate to have the support of friends, mentors, and colleagues at my alma mater, Gettysburg College, where I worked while completing the bulk of this book. Dozens of people have positively influenced this project in ways great and small; I would especially like to thank Mary Baskerville, Temma Berg, Robert Garnett, Len Goldberg, Ian Isherwood, Lani Lindeman, Linda Miller, Joanne Myers, Stephanie Sellers, and, in particular, James Myers, who taught me a great deal about Shakespeare and who continues to inspire my scholarly work. I also owe a debt to Jack Ryan, vice provost at Gettysburg College, who assisted me in obtaining a Research and Professional Development Grant so that I could travel to London to present my core argument in a seminar on Shakespeare. Susan Roach, of Gettysburg’s Musselman Library, ensured that even hard-to-find scholarly materials could travel swiftly and easily to me. This book entered its final stage when I joined the faculty at Henderson State University, where I received the generous support of Ellis College’s interim dean, John Hardee, and of my ix x Acknowledgments department chair, Peggy Dunn Bailey. Katrina Rogers and Linda Evans, of Henderson’s Huie Library, helped me acquire books and articles while I finished writing and revising. I am also thankful to have received advice and moral support from other colleagues and friends, especially Stephanie Barron, Angela Boswell, Gregory Gibson, Megan Hickerson, and Steven Todd. At Duquesne University Press, I am grateful for the helpful suggestions of smart readers and editors and, in particular, for the support of director Susan Wadsworth-Booth. As I recall the years that brought this project to its completion, I feel blessed to have an encouraging and loving family who helped nurture a hopeful scholar. I owe a special debt of gratitude to my sister Christine Tartamella for tolerating my countless discussions about Shakespeare and for never hesitating to offer personal encouragement and professional advice. Finally, for the many sacrifices made by my parents, Joseph and Jean Tartamella, I dedicate this book—cankers and all—to them. ...

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