REQUIRED READING
A Sonnet Anthology
RECOMMENDED READING
Of the reading below, Wolosky offers perhaps the best, most straightforward introduction to the sonnet. Regan’s book appeared this year, and its introduction also offers a very good starting point. Hass is a highly respected poet, and his short introduction will help you orient yourself in the history of the sonnet especially. Vendler, meanwhile, offers close readings of the Shakespeare sonnets included in our anthology. I also strongly recommend her book, which is available from the library: it contains close readings of every one of Shakespeare’s sonnets!
Hass, Robert (2017) ‘Sonnet‘, from A Little Book on Form: An Exploration into the Formal Imagination of Poetry. New York: Harper Collins, pp. 121-131
Regan, Stephen (2019) ‘Introduction‘, from The Sonnet. Oxford University Press, pp.1-14
Vendler, Helen (1997) ‘Sonnets 94 & 135‘, from The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, pp.
Wolosky, Shira (2001) ‘Verse Forms: The Sonnet‘, from The Art of Poetry: How to Read a Poem. Oxford University Press, pp.53-67