The deep philosophical difference between the Oxfordian and Marlovian positions lies in what they believe literary authorship fundamentally expresses. The Oxfordian theory, following J. Thomas Looney, assumes that great literature is primarily the outward expression of social identity and lived status: the plays must come from the mind of an aristocrat because they display aristocratic consciousness, courtly values, and noble psychology — hence Edward de Vere.
The Marlovian view, centered on Christopher Marlowe, instead treats authorship as the unfolding of individual intellectual genius over time, independent of rank or social position; what matters is stylistic evolution, philosophical continuity, and the developmental trajectory of a singular creative mind.
In short:
Oxfordianism interprets Shakespeare through sociology (who the author must socially be), whereas Marlovianism interprets Shakespeare through intellectual biography (how a genius continues to think and write).
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