Who Was the Author? An Introduction to Stylometry

摘要

So begins Act 1 of The Two Noble Kinsmen, a play first performed in about 1613 by a troupe of London actors known as the King's Men. It tells the story of two knights, devoted cousins who find themselves rivals for the favors of a woman. Despite its enduring theme, the play quickly fell out of the troupe's repertoire and was not performed again for more than three centuries. Yet as long ago as 1634 a purported script of the play was being circulated, bearing an intriguing inscription on its title page: "Written by the memorably Worthies of their time Mr John Fletcher, and Mr William Shakespeare, Gent."