SOURCE: Jensen, Ejner J. “Hall and Marston: The Role of the Satirist.” Satire Newsletter 4, no. 2 (spring 1967): 72-83.

In this essay, Jensen compares Hall's concept of satire with that of John Marston, observing that Hall has a stronger sense of the satirist's purpose. Jensen concludes that Hall's assurance carries over to his poetic technique as well, making his satire more effective and more readable than that of Marston.

It is extremely difficult for a modern reader to approach the work of the verse satirists of the last decade of the sixteenth century with any assurance of his ability to read them properly. To a student who has based his conception of satire on his reading of Dryden, Pope, Swift, and, to cite a contemporary example, Evelyn Waugh, the aims and methods of Hall and Marston are puzzling and even incomprehensible. Recently, scholars have attempted to clear away some of...