Henry Chettle existed on the insecure fringes of sixteenth-century literary culture. He followed a career that embraced printing, editing, pamphleteering, and playwriting. His prose works reflect a sense of modesty and decorum combined with the brashly...

In the following essay, Jowett examines the evidence for the claim that Chettle authored Greene's Groatsworth of Wit before establishing a context for his authorship and confronting those critics who reject the idea that he forged the work.

In the following essay, Burnett offers a detailed reading of Piers Plainness' Seven Years' Apprenticeship, arguing that the work has a densely allusive design, explores important topical questions about master-servant relations, and should be read in relation to an Elizabethan apprentice culture.

In the following essay, Erne denies claims that Chettle apologized to Shakespeare for Greene's attacks.