The World of Shakespeare's Sonnets: An Introduction - Paperback

by Robert Matz (Author)

Of Shakespeare's sonnets we know the crystalline meter, exquisite diction, and exhilarating surprise of the "turn" in the final couplet. By contrast, we know very little of their subjects and motives. This book does not approach the sonnets as Shakespearean autobiography but instead delineates the customs that shaped the poet's world and thus his sonnets. It argues for understanding them as brilliant, edgy expressions of the equally brilliant, edgy culture of the English Renaissance.

Author Biography

Robert Matz is an associate professor of English at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.