ELIZABETHAN SONNET CYCLES

Five Major Elizabethan Sonnet Sequences by Samuel Daniel, Michael Drayton, Sir Philip Sidney, William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser.

A collection of five major sonnet sequences from the Elizabethan era by some of the great poets of the period: Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Michael Drayton, Samuel Daniel and William Shakespeare. Each sonnet cycle is love poetry, and some of the finest verse in the English language: Sidney's 'Astrophel and Stella', Daniel's 'Delia', Drayton's 'Idea', Spenser's 'Amoretti', and Shakespeare's 'Sonnets'.

This edition prints each poem cycle on its own, without notes or editorial intrusions. And each poem has a page to itself, rather than being crammed together. It's a useful edition for students.

MICHAEL DRAYTON, SONNET 4, FROM 'IDEA':

BRIGHT STAR of beauty, on whose eyelids sit A thousand nymph-like and enamoured graces, The goddesses of memory and wit, Which there in order take their several places; In whose dear bosom, sweet delicious love Lays down his quiver which he once did bear, Since he that blessed paradise did prove, And leaves his mother's lap to sport him there Let others strive to entertain with words My soul is of a braver mettle made; I hold that vile which vulgar wit affords; In me's that faith which time cannot invade. Let what I praise be still made good by you; Be you most worthy whilst I am most true

Includes the illustrations of the poets, and notes on further reading. The book is now in a hardback edition.

British Poets Series.Bibliography & illustrations. 536 pages. ISBN 9781861714473 www.crmoon.com

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

'the highest matter in the noblest form' John Donne's description of the Psalms celebrates not only the perfection of the biblical psalms but their translation into poetic form by the Sidneys, who turned them into some of the most accomplished lyric poems of the English Renaissance. Although it was not printed until the nineteenth century, the Sidney Psalter was widely read in manuscript and influenced poets from Donne and Herbert to Milton and beyond. It turned these well-known and well-loved Psalms into sophisticated verse, selecting or inventing a different stanza form for each one. This variety of forms matches the appeal of their content: there are Psalms of praise and blame, Psalms of cursing and lamentation, Psalms of joy and exaltation, Psalms that recount history, and Psalms that describe Creation or divine law. This is the first complete edition of the Psalter for over forty years. The Psalms are provided in an authoritative modernized text, with helpful glosses and notes illuminating points of interpretation, and an introduction setting the Psalms in their literary and cultural contexts. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY: ASTROPHEL AND STELLA: ELIZABETHAN SONNET CYCLE

Sir Philip Sidney's 'Astrophel and Stella' is one of the major Elizabethan sonnet sequences, reprinted here in an attractive new edition.

'Astrophel and Stella' is a sonnet cycle of love poetry, and some of the finest verse in the English language.

The book includes a note on Sir Philip Sidney, illustrations, and suggestions for further reading. Each poem has a page to itself. It's a useful edition for students.

Sir Philip Sidney is one of the most well-known of Elizabethan sonneteers, and a key poet in contributing towards the fashionable success of the genre. Born in 1554 in Penshurst in Kent, Sidney was educated in Oxford (Christ Church) and Shrewsbury. Sidney was an ambassador (to the German Emperor in 1577), and involved in European politics (his European tour was 1572-1575). He was knighted in 1583, and was governor of Flushing in 1585. He died aged 31 in 1586, following wounds sustained in the Battle of Zutphen.

Sir Philip Sidney's works include 'Arcadia' (1577/ 86), 'Defence of Poetry', translations of psalms and du Bartas, sonnets for Penelope Rich (c. 1581), and 'Astrophel and Stella'.

'Astrophel and Stella' was first published in 1591, and again in 1598 (where it was at back of the edition of 'Arcadia'). It was apparently edited by the Countess of Pembroke, one of the principal figures in Elizabethan poetry.

Illustrated. Bibliography and note. ISBN 9781861711762. 160 pages.

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