Blount, Marlowe, and the First Folio
Edward Blount, part of the publishing consortium for the First Folio, was a serial investor in early modern English poets and dramatists, publishing works by William Alexander, Ben Jonson, George Chapman, John Lyly, and Christopher Marlowe, the latter to whom he was a friend and the self-proclaimed...
Zapisane w:
| Wydane w: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/shakespeare, |
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| 1. autor: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Język: | Anglais |
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Actes des congrès de la Société française Shakespeare
2025
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| Hasła przedmiotowe: | |
| Dostęp online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Streszczenie: | Edward Blount, part of the publishing consortium for the First Folio, was a serial investor in early modern English poets and dramatists, publishing works by William Alexander, Ben Jonson, George Chapman, John Lyly, and Christopher Marlowe, the latter to whom he was a friend and the self-proclaimed executor of part of his literary estate. Blount claimed as much in the dedication printed in his 1598 publication of Hero and Leander, “By these meditations (as by an intellectuall will) I suppose my selfe executor to the unhappily deceased author of this Poem.” Blount’s edition was published parallel to another early edition of Hero and Leander, printed later that year, which included a posthumous continuation by Chapman. Blount’s endorsement of, and involvement with, the dissemination of Marlowe’s works also included the publication of Marlowe’s translation of Lucan’s First Book (1600), as well as publication of four later editions of Hero and Leander. Much critical interest in recent years has focused on a possible working relationship between Marlowe and Shakespeare, with Marlowe’s hand identified in 1-3 Henry VI. In this light, less critical attention has been given to figures such as Blount who contributed significantly to the later transmission of both authors’ works. In this article, I will argue that Blount’s personal connection with Marlowe, and his willingness to help preserve his works, finds a parallel in his later investment in the First Folio, and sheds light upon how Blount’s investment was not simply financial. |
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