Beginning with the early masters of the sonnet form, Dante and Petrarch, the Companion examines the reinvention of the sonnet across times and cultures, from Europe to America. In doing so, it considers sonnets as diverse as those by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, George Herbert and e. e. cummings. The chapters explore how we think of the sonnet as a lyric' and what is involved in actually trying to write one. The book includes a lively discussion between three distinguished contemporary poets Paul Muldoon, Jeff Hilson and Meg Tyler on the experience of writing a sonnet, and a...

Beginning with the early masters of the sonnet form, Dante and Petrarch, the Companion examines the reinvention of the sonnet across times and cultures, from Europe to America. In doing so, it considers sonnets as diverse as those by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, George Herbert and e. e. cummings. The chapters explore how we think of the sonnet as a lyric' and what is involved in actually trying to write one. The book includes a lively discussion between three distinguished contemporary poets Paul Muldoon, Jeff Hilson and Meg Tyler on the experience of writing a sonnet, and a...