The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 22.0313  Monday, 28 November 2011

From:         Ian Steere < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >

Date:         November 25, 2011 10:07:54 AM EST

Subject:      Biography in the Sonnets

Now that the Thomas of Woodstock thread is in abeyance, I thought that I might offer another bone for the forum to chew over.

The concept of reliable biography in Shakespeare's Sonnets is often dismissed out of hand these days - despite the potential value were it to become evident.

Partly this is because accretions in the evidence tend to come to light piecemeal. Partly, however, resistance to the topic seems to be a matter of fashion (given that there is no evidence that the Sonnets are mainly fiction).

I should like to invite a reading of my article on the subject and - more importantly - a testing of the evidence presented therein. Significant parts of this are new and, I dare suggest, thought-provoking. For example, there are previously undetected ambiguities in the Venus and Adonis dedication which point comprehensively to the poetic Rivalry suggested in the Sonnets.

The article is at Biography in Shakespeare's Sonnets. I would welcome any reasoned comments.

Sincerely,

Ian Steere.