The Wit and Wisdom of Shakespeare: 32 Sonnets Made Thoroughly Accessible

by Darrel Walters, Michael Schoenfeldt (Foreword by)

Overview

In partnerships with the website sonnetsofshakespeare.com, which contains video recordings of the author reciting each sonnet, The Wit and Wisdom of Shakespeare thoroughly demystifies 32 of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Each is presented and illuminated by a short Essence Statement, clarified in a Diagram for Greater Understanding, and described in a unique and entertaining narrative description. Embedded within the descriptions are tidbits of interesting information about Shakespeare, his associates, and cultural circumstances of the time—along with writing techniques and word play in which Shakespeare indulged, and observations from Shakespeare scholars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475818376
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/14/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	170
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Darrel Walters, a former public school teacher and university professor with a
Ph.D. from The University of Michigan, has published books on writing skills and assessment techniques, and written poetry for both children and adults. He presents poetry programs in various venues, and his intense interest in the sonnets of Shakespeare has prompted him to make The Sonnets eminently accessible to readers of all ages.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter One: The Sonnets of William Shakespeare
Background and Perspective
The Sonnet Format
The Organization of This Book
Suggestions for Using This Book
Chapter Two: Living Life’s Span
Sonnet 2
Your youthful beauty will fade, but you can
duplicate it by having a child
Sonnet 50
Journeys oppress me with the miles they
put between us
Sonnet 66
Human frailties irk me; your love is my
only consolation
Sonnet 30
Your presence, dear friend, salves my
many mid-life regrets
Sonnet 60
Time passes cruelly for all, but I leave to posterity
high praise for you
Sonnet 73
My advanced age shortens our time left together,
making your love for me more strong
Sonnet 74
After my body is gone, the best of me
will remain with you in my verse
Chapter Three: Seeing the Unseen
Sonnet 47
My eye and heart work together to keep you present
even when you are away
Sonnet 27
When I travel I recall your image to
beautify the darkness of night
Sonnet 61
When you travel, I recall your image and
worry about who you are with
Sonnet 113
When you and I are apart, I superimpose
your image on everything
Sonnet 43
I see best while asleep, as that is when
my dreams show you to me
Sonnet 24
I carry your image in my heart, but I
need you to reveal your inner self
Chapter Four: Declaring Devotion
Sonnet 76
My writing lacks variety only because
you are my sole subject
Sonnet 91
What others covet means nothing to me:
you are everything
Sonnet 143
I will support your surging ambitions, and
in return ask only for love and kindness
Sonnet 29
Though I am lowly, your love is so rich that
I rejoice in being me and having you
Sonnet 37
Fortune has failed to smile on me, so I
live life vicariously through you

Sonnet 116
With apologies to those who already know, I
preach of the unwavering nature of true love
Chapter Five: Managing Relationships
Sonnet 128
I am infatuated with you, and
long for your touch
Sonnet 80
I pursue you in desperate hope of
overcoming the competition
Sonnet 109
My absence has damaged our relationship, but
you need to know that you mean everything to me
Sonnet 20
Your fineness suggests that Mother Nature
intended you for a woman, but changed her mind
Sonnet 115
When I first wrote of my love for you I was
naïve about how much it would continue to grow
Sonnet 90
If you will hate me and leave me, do it now
rather than add to later woes
Sonnet 147
I am enslaved by a sick, destructive love
that has chased away all reason
Chapter Six: Keeping Beauty Alive
Sonnet 15
I restore to you through my verse what
Time takes from you through decay
Sonnet 55
Through my verse you will outlive grand
structures and inspire posterity’s lovers
Sonnet 54
When your outer beauty fades, my verse
will testify to your inner substance
Sonnet 17
My verse lauding your beauty will be lent
credibility by your having a child
Sonnet 65
If time batters all things, how can fragile
beauty survive? Through my verse
Sonnet 18
Other beauty fades, but my verse will
keep yours alive forever

References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Walters examines 32 of Shakespeare’s sonnets in this brief, informative investigation. As the author suggests, people are probably more familiar with Shakespeare’s plays than his poetry. Each chapter discusses six or seven sonnets around a theme, such as living life’s span or managing relationships. The pattern for each chapter is the same: a copy of the sonnet, a few sentences on the sonnet’s essential message, a diagram of the sonnet, and two pages of commentary. In the commentary, Walters provides a brief analysis of the sonnet, some background from Shakespeare’s life, and some reference to issues that may have arisen in the scholarship about Shakespeare and the individual to whom the sonnet was dedicated. This is an accessible, enlightening perspective on the poems. Readers who are new to Shakespeare’s work and those who are steeped in it will enjoy this book and gain from it.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Choice Reviews

After decades of feeling challenged to fully understand and appreciate Shakespeare’s masterpieces and their relevance to our time, I’ve been rescued by Darrel Walters’ eminently readable treatise. It brings William Shakespeare and his sonnets to life, unfolds the full beauty of his language, and explains the messages of the sonnets in the context of modern culture and vernacular. It’s a masterpiece in itself.

Geoffrey Thomas

Darrel Walters has crafted a wonderful gift for readers of Shakespeare's sonnets at every level. For the novice, a sound and reliable primer; for the experienced reader, a rich and
surprising collection of insights.

Ejner J. Jensen

If only this was around when I was in school, how much simpler life would have been!
Condensed into neat little packages waiting to be unwrapped, Wit and Wisdom makes it easy for today’s 21st century learners to tackle Shakespeare. The thematic thread woven throughout the visual and written analysis guides the reader in dissecting Shakespeare’s complexity and depth, opening the reader’s mind to true accessibility.

Emily Abram

The Wit and Wisdom of Shakespeare is an entertaining primer that will be particularly valuable to students encountering the Bard for the first time. It is easy to read and navigate. Darrel Walters provides a diagram, summary, and basic explanation of each sonnet that is truly excellent. In a light, charming voice, Walters deftly works in facts, anecdotes, and scholarly quotes, which point to his own wit and wisdom.

Thea Howey

Walters examines 32 of Shakespeare’s sonnets in this brief, informative investigation. As the author suggests, people are probably more familiar with Shakespeare’s plays than his poetry. Each chapter discusses six or seven sonnets around a theme, such as living life’s span or managing relationships. The pattern for each chapter is the same: a copy of the sonnet, a few sentences on the sonnet’s essential message, a diagram of the sonnet, and two pages of commentary. In the commentary, Walters provides a brief analysis of the sonnet, some background from Shakespeare’s life, and some reference to issues that may have arisen in the scholarship about Shakespeare and the individual to whom the sonnet was dedicated. This is an accessible, enlightening perspective on the poems. Readers who are new to Shakespeare’s work and those who are steeped in it will enjoy this book and gain from it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Choice

Walters examines 32 of Shakespeare’s sonnets in this brief, informative investigation. As the author suggests, people are probably more familiar with Shakespeare’s plays than his poetry. Each chapter discusses six or seven sonnets around a theme, such as living life’s span or managing relationships. The pattern for each chapter is the same: a copy of the sonnet, a few sentences on the sonnet’s essential message, a diagram of the sonnet, and two pages of commentary. In the commentary, Walters provides a brief analysis of the sonnet, some background from Shakespeare’s life, and some reference to issues that may have arisen in the scholarship about Shakespeare and the individual to whom the sonnet was dedicated. This is an accessible, enlightening perspective on the poems. Readers who are new to Shakespeare’s work and those who are steeped in it will enjoy this book and gain from it.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

CHOICE