Rosalind Barber has a DPhil in English Literature from Sussex University, funded by the UK’s AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) and granted in May 2011. Her thesis, entitled ‘Writing Marlowe As Writing Shakespeare: Exploring Biographical Fictions” was part creative and part critical, consisting of the 70,000 word verse novel The Marlowe Papers and 50,000 words exploring the Shakespeare authorship question; the first phD on this subject in the UK. Three academic papers emerged from this part of the PhD, published in the journals Rethinking History and Critical Survey, and the book Christopher Marlowe the Craftsman.
Because the Shakespeare authorship question is an academic taboo, it has not previously been the subject of academic research. Dr Barber came originally from a science background, with a first degree in Biological Sciences. Her interest is in evidence and its interpretation, the influence of belief upon perception, the relationship between history and fiction, and literary biography.
The full text of the critical component of Dr Barber’s DPhil thesis is now available here.
Videos emerging from Dr Barber's research
Dr Barber interviewed as a PhD student, plus two videos exploring the evidence for Marlowe’s death.
This research was funded by the AHRC (UK), whose support is gratefully acknowledged.
Rethinking Shakespeare
To get a fuller overview of Dr Barber’s research, including the reasons why Shakespeare biography needs to be critically examined, watch Rethinking Shakespeare, a 45-minute filmed presentation on the University of Sussex website. This presentation argues for a return to the first principles of historical research, a critical re-examination of evidence, and an appreciation of the extent to which our existing beliefs filter our perceptions of what is ‘true’. Beyond the ostensible subject, it emphasises the necessity of encouraging students to ask questions, rather than supplying them with answers.
Academic Articles
‘Shakespeare Authorship Doubt in 1593’
Critical Survey 21:2 Summer 2009
‘Exploring Biographical Fictions: The Role of Imagination in Writing and Reading Narrative’
Rethinking History 14:2, Spring 2010
‘Was Marlowe A Violent Man?’
Christopher Marlowe the Craftsman, Ashgate, 2010
Conference Papers
“Exploring Biographical Fictions: The Role of Imagination in Writing and Reading Narrative”
- Cross-Currents PG conference, University of Sussex, 5th July 2007
- Goldsmiths Literature Seminars 1st November 2007
“Interpretation and Belief: Constructing the Renaissance”
Queen’s University Belfast symposium, Filming & Performing Renaissance History, 26-27th April 2008.
“Marlowe and Violence: Exploring Biographical Fictions”
Marlowe Society of America 6th International Conference in Canterbury, 1st – 3rd July 2008
“Be He Alive or Be He Dead: Harvey, Nashe, & Chrisopher Marlowe”
- Text And Image conference, Centre for Early Modern Studies, Univ of Sussex, 9-11th Sept 2008.
- Institute of Ideas Postgraduate Forum, London School of Economics, 17th Dec 2008
- Goldsmiths Literature Seminars 29th Jan 2009
“Writing Marlowe as Writing Shakespeare: The Marlowe Papers”
- The Playful Paradox Creative Writing Conference, Luton, 23rd May 2009
- Memories, Narratives & Histories PG Research Conference, Sussex, 3rd Jun 2009
- Great Writing: The International Creative Writing Conference, 20th-21st June 2009
“Evidence and Interpretation: Shakespeare and Marlowe”
- Shakespearean Authorship Trust Conference, The Globe Theatre, London, 28th Nov 2010
Posts on The Marlowe-Shakespeare Connection
Intended for a more general readership.
Allusion or Illusion? William Covell’s Gaveston
Stanley Wells and the Cobbe Portrait
