Sir Philip Sidney, Astrophil and Stella. Over the course of the sixteenth century English poets experimented with the sonnet form invented by their Italian neighbours, and the Petrarchan conventions that came with it. The goal was a long sequence of many short poems which chronicle the emotional chaos springing from unrequited love. Sir Philip Sidney’s sequence Astrophil and Stella is one of the great examples of the form in English. The male speaker is enthralled by a beautiful, virtuous, cultured noblewoman who hardly knows he exists. The record of his passion, full of obsession, idealization and self-loathing, not only gives us a window into this dimension of Elizabethan culture but also allows us to appreciate the nature of poetic craftsmanship. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This show was recorded during tornadic Oklahoma storms, but we persevered because literature matters that much to us here at Professing Literature. We had to cut a few times during recording to keep an eye on the weather, so please excuse any edits that aren't seamless. As always, thanks for listening!We love hearing from all of you. Please email us at
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