50bookchallenge, 15000pages
Book #16 -- William Shakespeare, The Sonnets, 205 pages.
Ok, I know it's shocking, but I'm going to admit it. As much as I love Shakespeare, I'm not all that fond of the sonnets. I know, you're all wailing in disbelief now. It's not that they aren't brilliantly crafted, because most of them are. And there are some I really like. But dammit, the speaker of most of them is a *wimp*. The first bunch addressed to the Golden Youth are all "I'm not worthy" like a puppy-dog. The ones to the Dark Lady are more "You're horrible to me so why do I keep coming back?". I neither respect nor can relate to either mindset so the sonnets end up being mostly pretty words and nothing more. How an author who has created some of the most fascinating characters in the whole of English canon can take on such a pathetic persona in his love poetry I have no idea. Ok, y'all can flame me now.
Progress toward goals: 14.2%
Books: 16/150 = 10.7%
Pages: 4185/50000 = 8.4%
2008 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven
Ok, I know it's shocking, but I'm going to admit it. As much as I love Shakespeare, I'm not all that fond of the sonnets. I know, you're all wailing in disbelief now. It's not that they aren't brilliantly crafted, because most of them are. And there are some I really like. But dammit, the speaker of most of them is a *wimp*. The first bunch addressed to the Golden Youth are all "I'm not worthy" like a puppy-dog. The ones to the Dark Lady are more "You're horrible to me so why do I keep coming back?". I neither respect nor can relate to either mindset so the sonnets end up being mostly pretty words and nothing more. How an author who has created some of the most fascinating characters in the whole of English canon can take on such a pathetic persona in his love poetry I have no idea. Ok, y'all can flame me now.
Progress toward goals: 14.2%
Books: 16/150 = 10.7%
Pages: 4185/50000 = 8.4%
2008 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven