The Development Of The Sonnet: An Introduction

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SONNET ‘A very useful book indeed, and one which will add to the scope of current debates about the sonnet.’ John Drakakis, University of Stirling In this indispensable introductory study of the Renaissance sonnet, Michael R.G.Spiller takes the reader on an illuminating guided tour. He begins with the invention of the sonnet in thirteenth-century Italy and traces its progress through to the time of Milton, showing how the form has developed and acquired the capacity to express lyrically ‘the nature of the desiring self’. In doing so Spiller provides a concise critical account of the major British sonnet writers in relation to the sonnet’s history. This volume is tailor-made for students’ needs and will be an essential purchase for anyone studying this enduring poetic form. Poets covered include: Petrarch Wyatt Sidney Shakespeare Spenser Dante Milton Michael R.G.Spiller is Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural History at the University of Aberdeen. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SONNET An Introduction Michael R.G.Spiller London and New York First published 1992 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1992 Michael R.G.Spiller All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Spiller, Michael R.G. The development of the sonnet: an introduction/Michael R.G.Spiller. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. English poetry—Early modern, 1500–1700—History and criticism. 2. Sonnets, English—History and criticism. 3. Sonnets, English— Italian influences. 4. Sonnet. I. Title. PR539.S7S65 1993 821'.04209–dc20 92–4868 ISBN 0-203-40150-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-40177-8 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-07744-3 (Print Edition) 0-415-08741-4 pbk to Pamela ‘il soave mio fido conforto’ CONTENTS Preface vi 1 THE SONNET AND ITS SPACE 1 2 SICILIANS AND CITIZENS: THE EARLY SONNET 11 3 ‘MAKING THE AIR TREMBLE WITH CLARITY’: THE STILNOVISTI 29 4 PETRARCH: ‘THE GOOD WEAVER OF LOVE VERSES’ 45 5 THE FORTUNATE ISLES: THE SONNET MOVES ABROAD 63 6 WYATT, SURREY AND THEIR LEGACY 81 7 ‘I AM NOT I’: THE SONNETS OF SIDNEY 101 8 THE ELIZABETHAN SONNET VOGUE AND SPENSER 123 9 ‘THEE (MY SELFE)’: THE SONNETS OF SHAKESPEARE 149 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY: HERBERT, DRUMMOND AND MILTON 175 PUBLICATION DATES OF BRITISH SONNET SEQUENCES 197 Notes 199 Bibliography 229 Index 237 10 Appendix. PREFACE The greatest sonneteer of them all, Francis Petrarch, looking back many years