It Was Marlowe: A Story of the Secret of Three Centuries

Zeigler, Wilbur Gleason, 1857-1935Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0
Word count
405K words
Chapters
41

Tags

English Originals Historical Fiction Historical ReappraisalSuspense ThrillerLiterary GiantsCriminal PsychologyPopular Explanation

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.It Was Marlowe: A Story of the Secret of Three Centuries by Wilbur Gleason ZeiglerAuthor: Zeigler, Wilbur Gleason, 1857-1935,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 29, 2018

Editor's review

This novel revolves around the "Marlowe mystery," recasting the most famous identity puzzle in Elizabethan theater history as a story spanning three centuries. Zeigler treats this literary-historical cold case in fictional form, turning the perennial controversy over whether Marlowe really died in a tavern brawl into narrative momentum; readers get both atmospheric historical staging and the pull of a mystery-style plot. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, its value lies first in historical curiosity and accessibility: readers interested in the Shakespearean stage or Marlowe's life can treat it as a light "paper chase." A caveat: it is a novel, not scholarly investigation, with more imaginative plotting than documented evidence, so it is best read alongside factual material on Marlowe's life—the contrast makes for a richer experience. Suited to reading in short stretches on a commute or before bed, as an introductory diversion into the world of English Renaissance drama.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read a brief account of Marlowe's life first; the characters will be easier to follow.
  2. Keep the novel's plot separate from the historical record, and check key premises against sources.
  3. The English original can be read chapter by chapter; review the clues after each chapter to avoid confusing characters.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41

FAQ

Is this book a scholarly work or a novel? It is a novel, not scholarship. The author builds an imaginative narrative around the "Marlowe mystery," a famous cold case in literary history, with more invented plot than documented evidence. For research on Marlowe's life, turn to biographies and academic studies; for the pleasure of a mystery, this book fits.
Can I read it without having read Marlowe's works? Yes. The novel does not require prior familiarity with Marlowe's plays, but knowing that he was a playwright contemporary with Shakespeare whose death is disputed will make it easier to enter the story. Ten minutes of background reading is enough.
Why is it recommended to read alongside factual material? Because the novel treats historical figures and events literarily, mixing fact and fiction. Comparing it with factual sources helps readers distinguish history from the author's imagination—preserving the pleasure of reading while avoiding mistaking plot for historical conclusion.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Zeigler, Wilbur Gleason, 1857-1935 Author

Wilbur Gleason Zeigler (1857–1935) is an author about whom little is publicly documented; his nationality, education, and professional career are not reliably recorded, and only two of his works are currently known. His writing spans both regional description and literary fiction. One work, The Heart of the Alleghanies or, Western North Carolina, portrays the mountain region of western North Carolina, while It Was Marlowe: A Story of the Secret of Three Centuries revolves around the identity mystery of the English playwright Christopher Marlowe and belongs to historical suspense. Though different in subject, both show an interest in local landscape and hidden historical secrets, with a style favoring narrative development and atmospheric build-up. Given the scarcity of records, the full range and influence of his work remain to be explored, and readers can glimpse his style and interests only through these two books.