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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Thanks to Ben McEvoy, I decided to read one Shakespeare sonnet every day (except for days I couldn't). Thus it took me almost a year to read the 154 sonnets. It was one of my favorite literary projects of all time. During the journey, I reflected on a kind highschool teacher who introduced a few sonnets to me and who had concentrated her Yale studies on Shakespeare. I wrote to her and reconnected. In addition, I learned about Shakespeare, the sonnets, the ambiguity of his writing, the mystery surrounding his themes and ambiguity. I also found the influence of Shakespeare's sonnets in Wolff's Mrs Dalloway and Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. I even read Wilde's lesser known (but even more directly linked to the sonnets) "The Portrait of Mr W.H." (which I highly-recommend.)
For the record, I don't hold with the idea that the fair youth and the dark lady both were lovers of Shakespeare. But then again what do I know ?
For the record, I don't hold with the idea that the fair youth and the dark lady both were lovers of Shakespeare. But then again what do I know ?
I read this along with No Fear Sonnets and the Folger version, this one is the most thorough, but the notes got a little scholarly and off the subject at times. This would be better I think for someone who has either read the sonnets before or is already pretty well versed in the art of reading Shakespeare.
Read this with the Oxford edition, which was a little too scholarly, and the No Fear Sonnets, which have no footnotes at all...this one was a little too easy sometimes, they would translate a word you could have easily figured out and then left a harder one, like they weren't even going to bother with that. But between all three books, I think I got a fairly decent handle on them..
The themes in Shakespeare's Sonnets can be seen throughout his works...he is a true master!
medium-paced
emotional
funny
fast-paced
funny
enjoyed it greatly, even more than i thought i would. i found myself whooping and hollering a lot while reading through the book, and it was a great enjoyment to find the themes and motifs shakespeare carries through out his body of work represented in these sonnets.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
