Christopher Marlowe in Context
Literature in Context Series

A contemporary of William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe was one of the most influential early modern dramatists, whose life and mysterious death have long been the subject of critical and popular speculation. This collection sets Marlowe's plays and poems in their historical context, exploring his world and his wider cultural influence. Chapters by leading international scholars discuss both his major and lesser-known works. Divided into three sections, 'Marlowe's works', 'Marlowe's world', and 'Marlowe's reception', the book ranges from Marlowe's relationship with his own audience through to adaptations of his plays for modern cinema. Other contexts for Marlowe include history and politics, religion and science. Discussions of Marlowe's critics and Marlowe's appeal today, in performance, literature and biography, show how and why his works continue to resonate; and a comprehensive further reading list provides helpful suggestions for those who want to find out more.

Chronology of Marlowe's life and works Catherine Clifford and Martin Wiggins; Introduction Emily C. Bartels and Emma Smith; Part I. Marlowe's Works: 1. Marlowe's canon Martin Wiggins; 2. Marlowe's material texts Leah S. Marcus; 3. Marlowe and the limits of rhetoric Catherine Nicholson; 4. Marlowe and character Laurie Maguire and Aleksandra Thostrup; 5. Marlowe's dramatic form Sarah Dewar-Watson; 6. Marlowe's poetic form Danielle Clarke; 7. Marlowe and the Elizabethan theatre audience Brian Walsh; 8. Marlowe and classical literature Syrithe Pugh; 9. Marlowe's medievalism Chris Chism; 10. Reading Marlowe's books Elizabeth Spiller; 11. Marlowe's translations Jenny C. Mann; Part II. Marlowe's World: 12. Geography and Marlowe Jacques Lezra; 13. History, politics and Marlowe Paulina Kewes; 14. Marlowe and social distinction James R. Siemon; 15. Marlowe, militarism and violence Patricia Cahill; 16. Education, the university and Marlowe Elizabeth Hanson; 17. Marlowe and the question of will Kathryn Schwartz; 18. Marlowe and the self Lars Engle; 19. Race, nation and Marlowe Emily C. Bartels; 20. Marlowe and religion Gillian Woods; 21. Marlowe and Queer Theory David Clark; 22. Marlowe and women Alison Findlay; 23. Marlowe and the New Science Mary Thomas Crane; 24. The professional theatre and Marlowe Tom Rutter; Part III. Reception: 25. Marlowe in his moment Holger Schott Syme; 26. Marlowe and Shakespeare Thomas Cartelli; 27. Marlowe in Caroline theatre Lucy Munro; 28. Marlowe's literary influence Lisa Hopkins; 29. Marlowe at the movies Pascale Aebischer; 30. Editing Marlowe's texts Andrew Duxfield; 31. Marlowe's biography Thomas Healy; 32. Marlowe and the critics Adam Hansen; 33. Marlowe now Paul Menzer.

Emily C. Bartels is Professor of English at Rutgers University and Director of the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College. Author of Spectacles of Strangeness: Imperialism, Alienation, and Marlowe (1993) (which won the Roma Gill award for Best Work on Christopher Marlowe, 1993–4) and Speaking of the Moor: From Alcazar to Othello (2008), and editor of Critical Essays on Christopher Marlowe (1997), she has also published articles on race, gender, survivorship, and early modern drama and is at work on a new project on Shakespearean intertextuality.
Emma Smith teaches at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and is the author of a range of works on Shakespeare and early modern drama, including The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare (2007) and The Cambridge Shakespeare Guide (2012). She has contributed numerous articles to publications including Shakespeare Studies and Shakespeare Survey and her iTunesU lectures on Shakespeare and on other early modern plays have been downloaded more than 300,000 times.