¶ Progress Report for 8/26
Scholarly Pursuits:
- Actually finished Wyatt for now. Turns out I like Wyatt a lot more than I remember.
- Did as much of Surrey as I can stand. I don’t dislike him, just find him less interesting than just about everyone else. I guess he has the benefit of pioneering the 4-4-4-2 sonnet, but I think that’s just the less sophisticated version that takes the subtlety of Petrarchan turn and reduces it down to a punch line, er, punch couplet. Still, Shakesp did pretty well with the form, so I guess I should thank Surrey for that. Plus, Surrey died young, and that always helps a poet’s career. Too late for me, I guess.
- I did just a wee bit of Sidney — and I still struggle to find Astrophil and Stella nearly as cool as I do, say, Shakespeare’s or Wroth’s sequences. C’mon, “Look to thy heart and write”: was there ever a time when a person could read this without rolling their eyes1?
- Jesuit paper. Ahem. Words: 0.
Non-scholarly Pursuits:
- Made some “very useful” playlists.
- Watched Black Beauty with the little boys. Was surprised to hear the horse’s voice provided by Alan Cumming. Kinda creepy, that.
- Some time-consuming but important elders quorum stuff.
NOTES:
1 Am I just a heartless, unpoetic soul? I know it’s a traditional move, but it’s still cheesy.
27 August 2008