Christopher Marlowe
📘 About This Book
Christopher Marlowe has provoked some of the most radical criticism of recent years. There is an elective affinity, it seems, between this pre-modern dramatist and the post-modern critics whose best work has been inspired by his plays. The reason suggested by this collection of essays is that Marlowe shares the post-modern preoccupation with the language of power - and the power of language itself. As Richard Wilson shows in his introduction, it is no accident that the founding essays of New Historicism were on Marlowe; nor that current Queer Theorists focus so much on his images of gender and homosexuality. Marlowe staged both the birth of the modern author and the origin of modern sexual desire, and it is this unique conjunction that makes his drama a key to contemporary debates about the state and the self: from pornography to gays in the military. Gay Studies, Cultural Materialism, New Historicism and Reader Response Criticism are all represented in this selection, which the introduction places in the light not only of theorists like Althusser, Bataille and Bakhtin, but also of artists and writers such as Jean Genet and Robert Mapplethorpe. Many of the essays take off from Marlowe's extreme dramatisations of arson, cruelty and aggression, suggesting why it is that the thinker who has been most convincingly applied to his theatre is the philosopher of punishment and pain, Michel Foucault. Others explore the exclusiveness of this all-male universe, and reveal why it remains so offensive and impenetrable to feminism. For what they all make disturbingly clear is Marlowe's violent, untamed difference from the clichés and correctness of normative society.
📖 Summary
Christopher Marlowe, edited by Richard Wilson and published in 2014, presents a compelling collection of essays that examines why the Elizabethan dramatist has inspired some of the most radical literary criticism of recent decades. Spanning 286 pages, this work of literary criticism explores the fascinating elective affinity between a pre-modern playwright and the post-modern critics whose best analytical work has been drawn to his provocative plays. At the heart of the book is the premise that Marlowe shares the post-modern obsession with the language of power and the raw power of language itself. Through a carefully curated selection of texts, the volume demonstrates how Marlowe's timeless works continue to resonate with contemporary theoretical frameworks. As Richard Wilson outlines in his insightful introduction, it is no mere coincidence that the foundational essays of New Historicism chose to focus on Marlowe, nor is it accidental that current Queer Theorists center much of their research on his subversive representations of gender and non-normative sexuality. The essays collectively argue that Marlowe effectively staged both the birth of the modern author and the origin of modern sexual desire. This unique and volatile conjunction is precisely what makes his dramatic output an essential master key to unlocking contemporary debates about identity, culture, authority, and subversion. By bringing together diverse critical perspectives, the book illuminates how Marlowe's protagonists—driven by limitless ambition, profound doubt, and unconventional desires—mirror the anxieties and contradictions of both the early modern period and our own post-modern era. Readers are invited to look past traditional interpretations and engage with a playwright who persistently challenged the orthodoxies of his time, thereby anticipating the radical skepticism of the modern age. Ultimately, this collection serves as both an homage to Marlowe's enduring theatrical genius and a vital contribution to modern literary theory, bridging centuries of dramatic art and critical thought with remarkable intellectual rigor.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Offers a sophisticated collection of radical essays on a major Elizabethan dramatist
Bridges early modern drama with post-modern critical theories effectively
Features a strong and illuminating introduction by Richard Wilson
Shed new light on Marlowe's treatment of power, gender, and authorship
⚠️ Cons
May prove overly academic or dense for general readers unfamiliar with literary theory
Focuses heavily on specific theoretical frameworks like New Historicism and Queer Theory
❓ FAQ
Who edited the book Christopher Marlowe? +
The book is edited by Richard Wilson, who also provides the introductory essay.
When was this book published? +
It was published in 2014.
What genres does this book belong to? +
It belongs to the literary-criticism genre.
How many pages are in the book? +
The book contains 286 pages.
What core themes are explored in relation to Marlowe's work? +
The book explores themes related to the language of power, the birth of the modern author, and the origins of modern sexual desire through New Historicist and Queer Theory perspectives.
