Books by Helen Vendler
Helen Vendler (1933-2024) was an American literary scholar who specialized in poetry. She was a professor at Harvard for 40 years.
“A caution to first-time readers: her minutely technical interpretations might overwhelm your initial encounter — so maybe this volume is better suited as a kind of “deep dive,” after you’ve already worked through the sonnets on your own. Even when (or maybe: especially when) you don’t concur with her approach, Vendler invariably sparks new insights along the way. She does something else that’s helpful: she modernizes each poem’s punctuation and spelling (like Duncan-Jones does), but she also reproduces a corresponding facsimile image from the 1609 Quarto. Again, your eye can scan back and forth between the different versions, evaluating her editorial decisions yourself.” Read more...
The best books on Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Scott Newstok, Literary Scholar
Interviews where books by Helen Vendler were recommended
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1
Shakespeare's Sonnets
by Katherine Duncan-Jones & William Shakespeare -
2
The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets
by Helen Vendler & William Shakespeare -
3
All the Sonnets of Shakespeare
by Paul Edmonson, Stanley Wells & William Shakespeare -
4
The Afterlife of Shakespeare's Sonnets
by Jane Kingsley-Smith -
5
Nets
by Jen Bervin -
6
Lucy Negro, Redux
by Caroline Randall Williams
The best books on Shakespeare’s Sonnets, recommended by Scott Newstok
The best books on Shakespeare’s Sonnets, recommended by Scott Newstok
The beauty of Shakespeare’s sonnets speaks to us down the centuries, their lines peaking out at us from the titles of famous books or enjoying outings at weddings or other romantic occasions. But they were not always regarded as perfectly-formed jewels, and the relationships they portray not as conventional as many of us presume. Here, Shakespeare scholar Scott Newstok talks us through books that help us learn more about Shakespeare’s sonnets, from the best introduction to the poems for students through to their afterlife and recent creative interpretations.
