FAQ Shakespeare Society
Can everyone become a member of the German Shakespeare Society?
Yes, everyone can join the German Shakespeare Society. Our member base includes literary scholars, students and Shakespeare enthusiasts. Everyone is welcome to the DSG and our events!
How can I support the German Shakespeare Society?
You can support the work of the German Shakespeare Society through memberships and gift memberships, as well as donations.
- Memberships and gift membershipsYou can support the Shakespeare Society with a yearly membership or a gift membership. As a member, you will receive the yearly Shakespeare Yearbook and discounted fees to all our conferences. Students receive a discount on their yearly membership, and couples can opt for a discounted partner membership. It is furthermore possible to gift a membership. You can find further information on memberships here.
- Donations to the German Shakespeare FoundationThe Shakespeare Society relies on donations to continue doing its work. It is supported by the German Shakespeare Foundation. Donations to the foundation make it possible for us to hold our regular conferences, the Shakespeare Academy, the yearbook, and other DSG projects and prizes. On the donations page of the German Shakespeare Foundation, you can choose the designated use of your donation – for instance, the Shakespeare Yearbook, the Martin Lehnert Prize, or the Shakespeare-Academy.
Is the Shakespeare Society really the oldest literary society?
The German Shakespeare Society is one of the oldest literary societies worldwide that has been active uninterruptedly. However, it is not the oldest. We know of at least one literary society that is even older. The Herrigsche Gesellschaft, which is still active in Berlin, was founded in 1857 by Friedrich Christian Ludwig Herrig (1816–1889) and so predates the Shakespeare Society by seven years. The Herrigsche Gesellschaft established modern philology as a discipline.
Even older is the “Archiv”, established by Heinrich Viehoff in 1846. It counts as the oldest new philological journal. Our Shakespeare-Jahrbuch is 18 years younger.
It is not unlikely that there are other societies worldwide that have existed for longer than the Shakespeare Society. Should you know of such an association, please let us know via:
office(at)shakespeare-gesellschaft.de
See also this Article in the FAZ from 26.04.2006.