The sonnets are among the most accomplished and fascinating poems in theEnglish language. They are central to an understanding of Shakespeares work asa poet and... » 

The sonnets are among the most accomplished and fascinating poems in theEnglish language. They are central to an understanding of Shakespeares work asa poet and poetic dramatist and while their autobiographical relevance isuncertain no account of Shakespeares life can afford to ignorethem. So many myths and superstitions have arisen around these poems relatingfor example to their possible addressees to their coherence as a sequence totheir dates of composition to their relation to other poetry of the period andto Shakespeares plays that even the most naive reader willfind it difficult to read them with an innocent mind. Shakespeares Sonnetsdispels the myths and focuses on the poems. Considering different possible waysof reading the Sonnets Wells and Edmondson place them in a variety of literaryand dramatic contextsin relation to other poetry of theperiod to Shakespeares plays as poems for performance and in relation totheir reception and reputation. Selected sonnets are discussed in depth butthe book avoids the jargon of theoretical criticism. Shakespeares Sonnets isan exciting contribution to the Oxford Shakespeare Topics ideal forstudents and the general reader interested in these intriguing poems. «