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and though I can't think of the man at the moment, a relative
of Oxford's actually created the form that became known as the
'Shakespearean' sonnet. What I meant was, not that they are without
artiface within themselves - for they surely have plenty - they
never pretend to be a conversation between two characters - they
are not framed in a 'literary' conceit. We seem on this to agree.
This is why for me the sonnets are so stark and personal. Despite
the vagueness of them at times, indeed because of it, they seem
intentionally obscure, written to, for someone who knows what
the author is talking about. A fancy personal letter, if you will.
This is miles away from an elaborate poetic chain of poems
written about a particular subject or about particular characters.
In the Shakespeare sonnets, there is no story line, there
are not characters, except the writer and his loves, and there is
no attempt to engage the reader in any way except direct and personal.
This is their literary strength - they speak to the heart, not
the mind - yet that very quality removes them from the category you cite.
This isn't - or at least in most scholars eyes - doesn't seem to be
anything other than a personal account of a love affair. nearly all
orthodox Shakespeare critical writing grants that. They way they get around
it is they suggest that Shakespeare wrote the sonnets on behalf
of a benefactor for his love. The mysterious Mr WH. If that's the case,
if they were written for another, my question is, Why do they
ring so passionately true!? Could an author, on commision, write poems like these?
Seriously. Could anyone? If it's so easy, why aren't Hollywood
writers churning out movie classic by the dozens. Because the
heart isn't there. it takes a Billy Bob Thornton to write a Sling Blade,
about a land he knows and people he loves. And it rings true.
But I digress. Anyway, I can't see the sonnets as anything but a true expression
of love. Honestly told from the heart. You can disagree. But
the heart of the poems, the passion of the sonnets, is their own best argument.
Posted by Bill Routhier on April 12, 1997 at 22:18:11
In Reply to "Impass" posted by Cloten on April 12, 1997 at 09:35:46
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