The article examines the lectures delivered by W.H. Auden at the New School for Social Research in 1946—1947. The context of the lectures and their connection with the modernist tradition are analyzed. The article highlights W.H. Auden's lecturing strategy and shows how Auden ‘decanonized’ Shakespeare's image. The article addresses Auden's interpretation of Hamlet and the character of Hamlet. Auden not only agrees with T.S. Eliot's statement about Shakespeare's “artistic failure”, but also focuses on Hamlet as an actor, interpreting the character through the lens of S. Kierkegaard's theory of “aesthetic” existence. The article shows that W.H. Auden connects the idea of “aesthetic” existence with his own criticism of the Romantic movement. The poet draws parallels between Hamlet and Shakespeare and between Shakespeare and the modern artist. Referring to the concept of S. Kierkegaard W.H. Auden reinterprets both the image of Hamlet and the role of the artist in the modern world.
For citation: Botvinova E.D. The idea of a modern artist in the American lectures by W.H. Auden, Ivanovo State University Bulletin, Series: Humanities, 2026, iss. 2, pp. 52—60.