The Sonnet

Its Characteristics and History

William Sharp

From Sonnets of This Century

This essay formed the introduction to Sharp's Sonnets of This Century (1887). In order to make it more readable online, I have divided the essay into parts as follows.

1. Introduction, mention of previous sonnet anthologies, general remarks
2. Early history of the sonnet
3. Sonnet structure
4. Early English sonnets, up to Shakespeare
5. (Remainder of essay is under construction)