Shakespeare's Sonnets

Dympna Callaghan (Author)

9781405113977, Wiley

Hardback, published 22 December 2006

176 pages
23.6 x 16 x 1.8 cm, 0.408 kg

“Lucid and engaging in its presentation, wide-ranging in its scope, and acute in its analyses, this book provides a valuable overview of Shakespeare's sonnets” Heather Dubrow, University of Wisconsin

"Dympna Callaghan provides an informed but most accessible guide to Shakespeare's Sonnets, demystifying and illuminating these enthralling poems in equal measure. She examines them in relation to the conventions and understandings of their own time, to show how they continue to speak so powerfully to ours." Richard Dutton, Ohio State University

This introduction provides a concise overview of the central issues and critical responses to Shakespeare’s sonnets, looking at the themes, images, and structure of his work, as well as the social and historical circumstances surrounding their creation.

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• Explores the biographical mystery of the identities of the characters addressed.
  
• Examines the intangible aspects of each sonnet, such as eroticism and imagination.
  
• A helpful appendix offers a summary of each poem with descriptions of key literary figures.

Preface.

1. Introduction: Shakespeare’s Perfectly Wilde Sonnets.

Subject Areas: Literature: history & criticism [DS]