Beginning with Petrarch and the Italian tradition and culminating in the English literary revival of Shakespeare and Milton, the sonnet rose to prominence in Renaissance Europe as one of the most prestigious and exquisite literary forms. In this course, Joseph Luzzi, the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard College, will guide participants through a highly interactive and in-depth exploration of the Renaissance sonnet in all its intellectual complexity and aesthetic richness.

We will pay special attention to how the major authors of the course—Petrarch, Shakespeare, Milton, and Donne—each crafted astonishingly original sonnets while simultaneously reworking and transforming the literary traditions they inherited. Together, we will discover how and why the sonnet became so esteemed a Renaissance literary creation—and explore the many ways it continues to resonate today.

Session 1 (February 19, 6:00–7:00 p.m. ET), Petrarch: Rime sparse (Scattered Rhymes) 1, 5, 14, 52, 61, 126, 134, 298, and 365

Session 2 (February 26, 6:00–7:00 p.m. ET), Shakespeare: Sonnets 12, 18, 87, 116, 130, and 145 

Session 3 (March 5, 6:00–7:00 p.m. ET), John Milton: Sonnets 7, 16, 18, 19, 23

Session 4 (March 12, 5:30–6:30 p.m. ET), John Donne: “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning,” “The Flea,” “Death, be not proud,” “Batter my heart, three-person’d god,” “What if this present were the world’s last night,” and “Woman’s Constancy”

This live, virtual course is structured to encourage active participation. Registrants will receive Zoom links a week before each session, a day prior to each session, and the morning of each session. All recordings will be made available within forty-eight hours of a session. All recordings and class materials will remain available for thirty days after the final session 

Scholarship applications must be submitted by Friday, February 13, at 5 p.m. ET. 

For information on how to register, how to receive the member discount, how to apply for a scholarship, how to access recordings and course materials, and more, please visit our FAQ page.