
audiobook
The book turns a careful eye toward the Shakespearean sonnets, treating them not as a single, seamless work but as a collection that unfolded over several years. By examining their emotional depth and the seemingly personal concerns they voice, the author highlights a lingering puzzle: many details feel out of step with what we know of Shakespeare’s life at the time they were penned. Rather than dismissing the poems as enigmatic, the work proposes a fresh perspective—suggesting the sonnets were addressed to Shakespeare by a hidden poet, a friend who offered both admiration and private confession.
Through a methodical presentation of “testimony” drawn directly from the verses, the author builds a case that could stand in a court of law. The argument is laid out plainly, inviting listeners to follow the reasoning without demanding acceptance, and encouraging a re‑evaluation of how the sonnets fit into the broader literary landscape of the era.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (104K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by D Alexander, Stephanie Eason, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2009-06-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
b. 1842
Best known today for a curious Shakespeare study from 1899, this late-19th-century writer explored the Sonnets as clues to the authorship question. Catalog records also link him to other nonfiction works, suggesting a reader drawn to argument, history, and big literary debates.
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