One Hundred Years of Solitude 2

1. Monolithic: 1 a : of, relating to, or resembling a monolith : huge, massive b (1) : formed from a single crystal < a monolithic silicon chip> (2) : produced in or on a monolithic chip < a monolithic circuit>
2 a : cast as a single piece < a monolithic concrete wall> b : formed or composed of material without joints or seams < a monolithic floor covering> c : consisting of or constituting a single unit
3 a : constituting a massive undifferentiated and often rigid whole < a monolithic society> b : exhibiting or characterized by often rigidly fixed uniformity
-Merriam-Webster Online

Page 51: "He found Francisco the Man, like a monolithic chameleon, sitting in the midst of a circle of bystanders."


2. After Ursula finds the nearby village, Macondo changes dramatically. Ursula opens a candy animal shop, and the town in general flourishes. Pilar gives birth to a son, Arcadio, by Jose Arcadio. A young, thumb-sucking orphan arrives mysteriously one day, and the Buendia family receives her as one of their own. Unfortunately the girl is affected with an extremely contagious insomnia plague, and the whole town contracts it in time. The plague causes them to stay awake at all hours, leading to drastic memory loss. Eager to retain their memories, the townsfolk begin labeling everything from "clock" to "cow," giving specific instructions on what to do with each. One day, just as things begin looking severely melancholy for Macondo, Melquiades shows up with a remedy and a daguerreotype, the later of which fascinates the healed Jose Arcadio Buendia. He seeks to use the machine to prove that God either exists or does not exist. Aureliano, meanwhile, has become a highly successful silversmith, but seems to have a problem connecting with the opposite gender. A magistrate arrives, attempting to force all of the houses to be painted blue, but after much conflict with Jose Arcadio Buendia and other townsfolk, he gives up. His family, the Moscotes, consisting of seven daughters and his wife, moves to Macondo, and although the conflict was resolved, Jose Arcadio Buendia continues to hold hard feelings. Unbeknownst to him, Aureliano falls in love with the youngest daughter, Remedios. Fighting to hold back his emotions, he sleeps with Pilar, who soon after helps him woo Remedios. Amaranta and Rebeca, the two daughters of the Buendia family, both fall madly in love with Pietro Crespi, the energetic and refined young Italian who comes to set up their pianola. Crespi chooses Rebeca, much to Amaranta's dismay. Melquiades passes away, creating the first death in Macondo. Pilar becomes pregnant with Aureliano's child, but he is engaged to Remedios and does not pay much mind to the pregnancy. Jose Arcadio Buendia dreams of the man he killed again, and in a frenzy he asserts that it has been Monday for a week. He completely loses his mind, and his family and neighbors are forced to tie him to a tree in order to detain him.


3. It's interesting that while, in the previous section no progress was made, in this section progress is made, but it is not necessarily a good thing. The town of Macondo becomes more urbanized by the arrival of the nearby townsfolk; businesses boom, people move in, and it seems that capitalism is rising. However, although the magistrate eventually comes to an agreement with Jose Arcadio Buendia, they start off on extremely bad terms. This could be a metaphor for government in general. Although it is said that Marquez does not put his communist beliefs in this novel, he could be trying to make a subtle statement about government control. The town spacing seemed awfully communist to me, with each house receiving the same amount of shade and sun each day, and each property the same distance from the water. Also, as the town flourishes, and people arrive, so do undesirable situations. There is a young woman who sleeps with seventy men a night in order to pay her grandma back, and although Pilar was in essence prostituting herself, this girl takes it to a much greater level. Overall, I got the sense that with progress comes a kind of harsh, real-world lifestyle that seems incredibly crude compared to the innocence of earlier Macondo. Is the lack of purity worth it? Solitude again plays a critical role, exemplified particularly strongly by Jose Arcadio Buendia. After throwing himself passionately into his work yet again, he loses his mind. His family sees no choice but to tie him to a tree like an animal, where he sits raving in a foreign tongue day in and day out. This is the ultimate solitude: to live among humans, but not be allowed within them. To be treated like another species, chained to a tree to endure the elements. Aureliano, who previously seemed to dislike solitude, has isolated himself completely. He spends all of his time in the lab, never concerning himself with finding friends or a woman until he meets Remedios. He does not necessarily seems happy in his solitude, but he seems content. Even after meeting young Remedios, he tries to force his emotion aside. This uncomfortable dealing with of emotion seems to be a common trait of the Buendia family, who in their isolation seem to have lost the capacity to truly feel. The character Rebeca really interested me in this section, with her soil and wall-chipping eating tendencies and her mysterious origins. I love that Ursula did not question the child when she showed up, simply accepted her as a child and raised her as such, tough love and all. Magic again runs prominently through the novel, but again in a subtle, almost believable way. When the insomnia plague curses the village, it does not seem fantastically far-fetched; rather, it seems like something that could truly happen. Melquiades returns with his magic remedies, both saving the day and tempting Jose Arcadio Buendia with an innovation one last time. The gypsy seemed immortal, but when he died at the Buendia house, he could not come back. I wonder if this will be the case throughout the novel or if he will make another appearance.


4. Is Melquiades and his "final" death symbolic of something? He seemed immortal until the very point of his death... is he truly dead? Does his death after beating so many odds represent something?

Where did Rebeca come from? Were her parents really friends of the Buendias, even though they cannot remember them? What final purpose will she serve?

Will Jose Arcadio Buendia become sane again? If so, what will he say of his time as a lunatic? If not, why did the author choose to include this terrible fate? Is the tree symbolic of genesis, when Eve took the forbidden fruit of knowledge from the tree and in turn fated herself and her kin to sin and suffering? Is Jose Aracdio Buendia representative of Eve?

One Hundred Years of Solitude 1

1. Incipient:: beginning to come into being or to become apparent .
-Merriam-Webster Online

Page 23: "His voice had changed. An incipient fuzz appeared on his upper lip."


2. One Hundred Years of Solitude essentially begins at the end, with Colonel Aureliano Buendia going through memories from his earlier life. Jose Arcadio Buendia, Aureliano's father and the founder of the town, was a fervent supporter of the gypsies who frequently visited the town, bringing with them strange and wonderful wares. He trades much of his livelihood and possession for the fascinating contraptions, much to the dismay of his more practical wife, Ursula. His purchases range from magnets to navigation to alchemy. Because of his zany pursuits, Jose Arcadio becomes extremely isolated from his family and his community. In one of his wild tangents he becomes obsessed with finding other civilization, traveling in all directions in an unsuccessful search of something other than water. He plans to move Macondo, the village he founded, to another location, but without the support of his community or of his wife he never follows through. Disappointed, he becomes more interested in his children, the younger Jose Arcadio, who is brooding and seems to enjoy solitude, and Aureliano, the only character who sincerely seems to long for human contact regularly. The elder Jose Arcadio takes his sons to see the gypsies one last time and becomes transfixed by ice. The narrative then switches to long before Jose Arcadio Buendia and his wife were born. It turns out the two are cousins, with their great-grandparents having a business partnership and their families remaining particularly close ever since. In the early days of their marriage, Ursula was terrified to have children because of a child born with a pig's tail into another incest-based relationship within the family. Jose Arcadio is patient for a long time, but when he kills a man after a duel protecting his dignity, he forces Ursula to have intercourse with him. Haunted by the ghost of the man he murdered, Jose Arcadio and Ursula move, taking many neighbors with them, and found Macondo. The story switches back to the previous narrative, and this time Jose Arcadio and Aureliano work to establish a city of ice, while the younger Jose Arcadio carries on a secret love affair with an older woman, Pilar. When she becomes pregnant with his child, Jose Arcadio flees with the gypsies, and Ursula goes looking for him. She returns months later with a troop of people from a nearby village, and claims that although she did not find the gypsies, she found a flourishing town nearby.


3. The novel is written in the form of magical realism, a genre that I was previously unfamiliar with but have taken an immediate liking to. Everything is presented as larger than life, with extravagant exaggerations and unbelievable ideas thrown into what seems like reality. I found a line on page 9 very interesting and ironic. It is mentioned that Ursula must plug her ears and block out the sound of the singing birds throughout the village "so as not to lose her sense of reality." In a land of flying carpets and serenity in the face of a duel, Ursula's irritation at something as commonplace as birds seems highly ironic. A prevalent theme throughout the first two sections was progress, or lack thereof. Although Jose Arcadio Buendia formed Macondo in a progressive, innovative way, it was arguably the only progressive action of his that we've seen thus far. All of his explorative ventures since the foundation of the village have failed; his passionate experiments and purchases, although filled with well-meaning, have been highly unsuccessful. It seems that Jose Arcadio has hit a stalemate with progress. Even his marriage, as one of incest, is a standstill. Instead of connecting with others, progressing with new genes and relationships, the two families that Jose Arcadio and Ursula belong to have been intermingling for generations. When his son Jose Arcadio is faced with the prospect of progression in the form of new life, he flees. Instead of staying to raise his child, he leaves with the gypsies. Another theme that plays an important role in chapters one and two is solitude. Each character, with the exception of Aureliano, has shown a tendency toward isolation. The elder Jose Arcadio isolates himself through his ventures and experiments: his community does not understand nor do they approve, yet he squanders his time and resources freely. His wife, Ursula, lives in isolation because of her lack of connection with her whimsical husband. The younger Jose Arcadio isolates himself through his lack of willingness to participate with his family, particularly with his father's experiments. On page 17, Jose Arcadio Sr. takes the children to see the ice with the gypsies, and although he paid for them to touch the ice, "Little Jose Arcadio refused to touch it." When he begins his affair, it is not one of love; rather, it is one of isolation and lust. The sex begins during his formative teen years. He is a brooding, angst-ridden young man with an unexplainable attraction to an older woman. She seduces him, and they meet regularly, but there is no true love connection. They are together, but they do not speak when Pilar comes to his house during the day. Thus it is a solitude-based relationship, not a companionship-based one. Aureliano is the only character who does not seek isolation. He spends much of his time attempting to connect with his father and his brother, whether taking part in the former's attempts at alchemy or speaking to the latter about his sexual encounters. Because of the situation he is in, though, and the people he is attempting to connect with, Aureliano remains in a state of solitude.


4. Names were obviously chosen very carefully in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Aureliano, the son interested in alchemy, takes his name from gold, whose chemical formula is Au and has Latin roots in aurum, meaning "shining dawn." Ursula means little bear, indicative of her strong character. Remedios could refer to medicine, and Buendia literally means "good day" in Spanish. What is the significance of Jose Arcadio? Was Pilar chosen randomly?

Ice vs. Burning... I see the significance of it so far, as it's mentioned quite frequently. I'm not sure I'm fully understanding its meaning, however. From the "burning town" to the burning passions, and the stove that the great-grandma sits on, fire is obviously prominent. Likewise, Jose Arcadio dreams of ice walls, and the ice fascinates him. Are these two elements symbolic of something deeper?

This is probably not an easily answerable question, but was Gabriel Garcia Marquez at all inspired by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales? I was reminded heavily of them in the first two chapters, mainly because of the abundance of small, easy to miss falsities throughout the text. There are many hidden "treasures," if you will, that are easy to skim over but at closer glance prove to be absolutely ridiculous and impossible.

Petrarch 4

3. In sonnets 358-366 it is implied that Laura has died. Petrarch begins the sonnets in a state of deep mourning. He claims that, "Death cannot make her sweet face bitter, but her sweet face can make death sweet," a very strong statement in my mind. In making such a bold claim, it seems that he is implying that he would welcome death, so long as Laura accompanies it. Petrarch would rather be with Laura in death than without her in life. I find this kind of ironic, though, considering he was never really with her in life either. At one point, Petrarch suggests that Laura's ghost has spoken to him, telling him to feel no sorrow in her death. Again, extremely far-fetched, given the fact that they did not know one another. I feel like at this point Petrarch is delusional, grasping for any hope he can find. I was really confused by the lines "Sometimes my heart trembles with a sweet chill, hearing her for whom I grow pale say to me: "Friend, now I love you and now I honor you, because you have changed your habits and your hair."" Laura is dead, and she died NOT loving Petrarch. I don't think "changing his hair" would have that tremendous of an effect, unless he's suggesting she was incredibly shallow in life. If that is the case, why does Petrarch praise her moral strength? This line seems to contradict everything Petrarch built up in the first few sonnets. He also implies that they will be together when he reaches heaven, but if she wouldn't have him on earth, I doubt this is the way it will work in the afterlife. Soon after, the theme of the sonnets changes dramatically. In sonnet 364, Petrarch acknowledges his foolishness in wasting his time on a woman who did not love him back. He asks for God's forgiveness and guidance. Here again, Petrarch strays from what he built. The entire 363 preceding sonnets appeared to be written over the course of one year, but sonnet 364 mentions that "Love held [him] twenty-one years gladly burning in the fire and full of hope amid sorrow; since my lady, and my heart with her, rose to Heaven, ten more years of weeping." This suggests that he has been in love with Laura for twenty-one years, which certainly does not fit the one year idea.


4. The biggest change in the progression of these poems obviously stems from Laura's death. Petrarch can no longer gaze upon her beauty; he can no longer physically long for something he cannot have. While he has the memory of her, he no longer has her. While most of the previous sonnets were melancholy in his unrequited love, none were as sorrowful as the poems following her death. He speaks of wishing for death, something he would not have ever done had Laura been alive. I still fail to see how it's such a big deal to him, as he never really knew her. Another change occurs when Petrarch acknowledges his wasted time. For the first time through all of the poems, he recognizes the lost time and asks for forgiveness. He realizes that Laura never loved him and that he should have given it up. This is a HUGE change from previous sonnets, in which his obliviousness and naivety allowed him to imagine a world where Laura would one day leap into his arms, proclaiming her love for him.


5. I did not encounter anything in my research that warned me of the change from sorrow to remorse. Nobody mentioned that he realized he wasted years of his life. Because of this, and because it is so unlike Petrarch throughout his earlier poems to admit flaw in loving Laura, I certainly did not see his change in heart coming. I was completely surprised when he acknowledged his foolishness and prayed for guidance. However, some scholars did mention Laura's death, so that didn't surprise me, although scholars admit that it was years later, and the whole romance did not take place over one year. I wonder why Petrarch chose to present it as a single year?


6. There are two deviations from typical Petrarchan-style sonnets in this block of poems. The first comes in 359, which is incredibly long. It is written in somewhat typical format, just much longer than the usual sonnet. It is 33 lines, as opposed to the usual 14. The second different poem is also the final poem, number 366. This poem is 13 lines long and is not at all in sonnet form. It appears to have irregular rhyme scheme, with no direct pattern, although there are some ABAB patterns.

Petrarch 3

3. Poems six through fifteen further glorify Laura, although there are a few random sonnets within as well. Petrarch asserts that his desire "flies ahead of [his] slow running" in its pursuit of she who is "light and free of the snares of Love." This indicates a very one-sided attraction, where Petrarch is in love with a woman who does not feel the same toward him. Petrarch also suggests that Love has the power to deeply wound him, "as against [his] will [Love] carries [him] off to death." This is obviously an exaggeration, as Petrarch was not fatally wounded by love, but the point comes across quite strongly. Love has a tremendous hold on Petrarch, one that leaves him helpless and wounded. According to a later sonnet, Petrarch had no choice but to fall in love. He was "free and in peace... passing through this mortal life, which every living thing desires, without fear of finding on the way anything to snare us." However, as soon as he saw Laura, his life changed forever. Now "he remains in the power of another, near his end, bound with a greater chain." Whether he chose his fate or not, there is no escaping it now. He is in the reign of a lady so beautiful that "she among ladies is a sun," clearly possessing unparalleled beauty. As the poems progress it seems that Petrarch's feelings have become known to Laura, but that she dismisses them. Since "Love has made [her] aware of [him], [her] blond hair has been veiled and [her] lovely gaze kept to itself." It appears that Laura has become bashful in her morality, refusing to lead on a man while she is married to another. I respect this in her; as we talked about in class, one of my big issues was whether he wanted her solely for lust or whether he truly loved her. I feel that if Petrarch was content to watch her from afar in order to preserve her purity and dignity, it could be love that he was feeling. However, if Petrarch tried desperately to win her affections, even if it meant asking her to commit adultery, he was simply in lust. If one truly loves someone, he or she would never ask the beloved to abandon his or her moral standards. I'm not sure what this says about Petrarch, but I respect Laura for putting her veil on, so to speak, and ignoring his advances. Backing up my lust vs. love argument, Petrarch makes a lot of physical-based comments about Laura once again in this section. He mentions the "light of [her] lovely eyes," pines for her "hair of fine gold made silver," speaks of her "garlands and clothes of green," and yearns to live long enough to see her "face lose its hue." As touching as these sentiments may be, they are all appearance-based. Relationships based wholly on appearance are lustful relationships, which makes me question Petrarch's motives. However, a slightly redeeming factor occurs in his mention of her valor. Petrarch claims that "from [Laura] comes the courageous joy that leads you to Heaven along a straight path, so that already I go high with hope." He mentions his eyes looking "so high" upon seeing her, indicating either a heavenly appearance or a heavenly demeanor. I'll give Petrarch the benefit of the doubt and assume that in this case he is not referring to her beauty, as he so often does, but her character. Petrarch ends these ten sonnets on a dramatic note, claiming that "death alone can cut off [his] thoughts from the amorous path that leads them to the sweet port of their healing." He says that the only cure for his incomparable love is death, in my opinion a very dramatic thing to say.


4. Most of the poems within this section seem to remain similar in progression to what we've seen so far; however, there have been a few differences. The first "odd" poem, so to speak, is number seven. While written in the standard style, the actual message of the sonnet does not fit with the Laura theme. Sonnet seven speaks of "gluttony and sleep and the pillow of idleness" banishing "all virtue" from the world, and the "benign light of heaven by which human life should be shaped." It also makes a reference to poetry, claiming that those interested in creating poetry are frowned upon. "Philosophy, you go poor and naked!" asserts a mob. Petrarch seems to be emphasizing the importance of religion, poetry, and philosophy, which would go along with his humanistic views. However, the poem definitely sticks out in context, as it doesn't fit with the flow of the other sonnets. Sonnet ten is the other sonnet that does not fit naturally into the progression: it once again talks about poetry, this time speaks of how there are "no palaces, no theater or gallery, but in their stead a fir tree, a beech, a pine... and the nearby mountain where we climb and descend poetizing." Once again he seems to be expression admiration for poetry, but once again it seems out of place within the sonnets.


5. The love vs. lust debate seems to be heating up, at least for me. The more of the sonnets I read, the more I notice the physical descriptions and praise but the lack of mention of character. Even when he does mention her virtuous nature, it could be taken multiple ways, one of which is a lust-driven frenzy. I would like to believe that Petrarch truly loved Laura, but as I mentioned previously, him apparently making his feelings known makes me question whether he was being entirely genuine. Overall it still fits with my research: Petrarch loved a woman who could not, or would not, love him back. He continues to pine for her, but she continues to ignore his advances. The "misfit" sonnets point to humanism, an ideology which Petrarch is said to be the founder of.


6. There has been nothing notable about any of the sonnets in this section regarding style and format. Petrarch continues to use Petrarchan sonnet form. The rhymes remain the same, and there are no hidden "LAU-RE-TA"s. As far as style goes, this section was fairly monotone. Not necessarily boring, but nothing to report.

Petrarch 2

3. Poems 1-5 jump straight into Petrarch's love for Laura. He begins by declaring his sorrow found through love, and asking that anyone who understands love would treat him with compassion and pardon his ways, as well as pity him for his struggles. He also acknowledges that he was "the talk of the crowd, for which [he is] ashamed," and that his "raving, shame is the fruit, and repentance, and the clear knowledge that whatever pleases in the world is a brief dream." This is a rather sorrowful way to begin a long set of poems, but it certainly gets the point across: Petrarch, or the speaker in this case, has been deeply wounded by love. Love, Petrarch claims, has taken "a graceful revenge" and "took up his bow again secretly, like a man who waits for the time and place to hurt." This bold statement accuses love of desiring to hurt the poor souls it affects, and Petrarch obviously sees himself as a victim. Petrarch eventually gets around to explaining his love, a love which began when Petrarch "did not defend [himself] against... your lovely eyes, Lady." This raises the love versus lust question, seeing as it appears to have been "love at first sight." Apparently Petrarch was unguarded, seeing no reason for alarm or fear in the face of such powerful feelings. He traipsed boldly into love, multiplying his hurt. "Love found me altogether disarmed," implies that Petrarch was struck without any forewarning. He compares Laura to the sun, saying that "Nature is thanked and the place where so beautiful a lady was born to the world." Once again, is Petrarch suffering from unrequited love or unrequited lust? The relationship thus far seems rather appearance-based.


4. So far there have been no major changes in the progression of the poems. Petrarch spends the first poem telling the reader how love has affected him. The second poem is furthering this, saying how love hit him with a "fatal blow." The third poem is when he tells of meeting Laura and of Love attacking him while he was disarmed. The fourth sonnet compares Laura to a piece of heaven and the sun, obviously flaunting her beauty and attempting to talk her up greatly. The fifth sonnet puts Laura on an even higher pedestal, as she is "worthy of all reverence and honor." Petrarch remains smitten yet sorrowful throughout, leading the reader to infer that the feelings were one-sided.


5. So far this fits with everything I uncovered in my research. The poems indeed seem to revolve around Petrarch's love for Laura. It appears to be unrequited, as he would not be nearly so melancholy had she returned his "love." I find his admiration of her somewhat lust-based thus far, but maybe it will change as the poem progresses. It will be interesting to see whether he mentions her husband, and whether he makes advances on her. From what I've read, Petrarch might go after Laura, but if so she rejects his advances. Five sonnets in there has been no mention of this, but he is heartbroken and I'd imagine more will come out as the sonnets continue. As far as the style goes, it seems regular for Petrarch.


6. Petrarch is the father of the Petrarchan sonnet form, so it comes as no surprise that his poems (in Italian) follow this pattern. The translations obviously do not follow pattern, and as I'm not familiar with Italian phonics, it's difficult to decipher word patterns and sounds. From what I can tell, there seem to be a lot of end rhymes, and this fits with my knowledge of Petrarchan form. Poem five is interesting in its clever use of Laura's name - LAU - RE -TA is isolated from words within the stanza, and Laureta is the Latin version of Laura. This is the first time Laura is identified, although research would leave the reader with no doubts about the intended recipient of the sonnets.

Petrarch 1

1. Francesco Petrarch was born in 1304 in Arezzo, Italy, to exiled nobles. He was a devout Catholic throughout his life. Petrarch spent early childhood near Florence and then much of his early life in Avignon. His father, a lawyer, insisted that Petrarch also study law, so from 1316-1320 he attended Montpellier and from 1320-1323 he attended Bologna. However, Petrarch was entirely uninterested in law, instead preferring writing and literature. In fact, his fervor for writing was so great that he felt he could not relate to anyone else, so he wrote letters to Cicero, who had died over 1200 years prior. Petrarch's life took a turn when he met Laura in church in Avignon following law school. He began writing sonnets addressing his love for her, and the sonnets gained an immediate following. Petrarch's work became very popular, and he was a celebrity of sorts in his time. He was declared poet laureate in Rome and spent much of his later life traveling at his leisure. Petrarch settled down near the end of his life in Padua, and he died soon after. He eventually became known as one of the first Renaissance humanists, as well as an extremely successful poet and scholar.


2. It is rumored that Petrarch wrote most of his sonnets and all of the Canzoniere for Laura de Noves. Scholars believe that Laura was the love of Petrarch's life, but that she was married before he met her. It is uncertain whether she knew of his love, or whether she was oblivious, but Petrarch perfected his sonnet in her honor and pined for her for many years. Other scholars believe that Laura is a fictitious character, invented solely for his works. EIther way, the Canzoniere, also known as Rime sparse, was written in her honor. The vast majority of the pieces of the Rime sparse are in sonnet form, but there are also canzoni, madrigal, sestine, and ballate as well. The poems were written over a time period spanning forty years, and are now often recognized as the most influential love poems of the Renaissance era. The central theme of the Canzoniere is Petrarch's admiration of Laura; however, there are other themes as well. Faith and religion are questioned throughout, and the paradox of Petrarchan love makes a steady appearance. This paradox is the issue of love being both painful and highly desirable. The passage of time, man's changing of mind, desire, isolation, the vanity of youth, glory, and antithesis are also central themes and issues throughout the poetry. It can be said that Petrarch's desire for Laura is a theme leading to a string of major themes: his love leads him to strive for glory, which he believes can fight time and its destruction. However, based on Christian theology, even glory cannot fight time and guarantee eternity, because only faith in salvation can. Petrarch is believed to have based parts of the Rime sparse on the Metamorphoses of Ovid and Virgil's Aeneid. He also borrowed structure and rhetoric from Sicilian court poetry, especially Giacomo de Lentini.

Astrophil and Stella 4

3. Sonnets 28-32 of Astrophil and Stella begin with an interesting twist: the first sonnet, while chronicling the love of Astrophil for Stella, also call upon the elements. Earth is represented in the line "I list not dig so deepe for brasen fame." Digging is typically associated with dirt, therefore with earth. Water is seen in, "The raines of Love I love, though never slake." Air is found when Astrophil says that, "...in pure simplicitie, / Breathe out..." Fire is shown as well, this time in "...flames that burne within my heart." Sidney suggests that there is a fifth element: the element of love, or of the heavens. Quintessence, although now usually used with an entirely different meaning, originally referred to the fifth, most powerful element. This element was supposedly composing all heavenly bodies. This makes sense if applied to Stella, who is "star" and represents the heavens. The idea of "changelings" is brought to light early on, which can also go with the element theme, particularly if the fifth element is looked at more as love. Changelings could refer to people touched by love; although they have not physically changed, they are different from before the love. Internal changes take place when one falls in love, which could be what Sidney was getting at. The second sonnet and third sonnet compare love to war, an interesting and debatable analogy. In the second sonnet speaks of "weak Lords, neighbord by mighty kings" and "chiefe cities," and of "frontiers" and "conquerings." These ideas all suggest a battlefield-type love, probably reflecting the way Astrophil feels that his love for Stella has been. In the third sonnet this suggestion is furthered with each two lines containing warring peoples. The Turkish contrast the Christians, reminiscent of the Crusades. The Poles are compared to the Russians, and the French are shown with the Dutch. "How Holland hearts, now so good townes be lost, / Trust in the shade of pleasing Orange tree," puts Holland against Orange, and Ulster is later shown against the Scottish. Although these comparisons may seem strange or irrelevant at first, further exploration shows that each of these pairs were at one point enemies. It's interesting to note that through sonnet 32 there has been no mention of Stella's personality. All of the descriptions throughout Astrophil's praise is physical. Whether this is meant to hint at a lust-induced relationship or just an oversight on Sidney's part, I'm not sure. Sonnet 29 emphasizes this, though, by using body parts throughout. "...her lips his heralds arre: / Her breasts his tents, legs his triumphall carre: / Her flesh his food, her skin his armour brave," demonstrates a great physical attraction, even need, but speaks much more strongly of lust than of love.


4. In this poems, Astrophil seems to take a slightly more negative stance on love. While it's true that before he was quite open about his unrequited love, sonnets 28-32 take the gloom to another level. Before, although he was lamenting his unreturned love, he still seemed to have hope. It seems that his hope is waning and he contemplates the battle-like conditions of love and the way he truly needs Stella but may never have her. He mourns his lack of luck, complaining about the men who waste the love they're given while he cannot even attain love to waste. Maybe it's just that as I'm reading I'm becoming more aware of the melancholy nature of the sonnets, but these sonnets really emphasized the sadness and evoke pity. Sonnet 28 specifically shows Astrophil's lament as he employs the four elements, and possibly a fifth element, to his love of Stella. Sonnet 29 begins the war analogy, also bemoaning Stella's other man. The sonnet claims that the other man does love her, but it also raises the question of whether Astrophil is feeling love or intense lust. Sonnet 30 continues the battle analogy with the comparisons between the countries or empires. Sonnet 31 makes a connection to the skies, seemingly speaking to the moon. "With how sad steps, O Moone, thou climb'st the skies, / How silently, and with how wanne a face," seems to show Astrophil identifying with the "sad" moon. This is an interesting connection, considering Stella is representative of the heavens. Is Astrophil growing closer to her, or is he just using the moon as a metaphor? Sonnet 32 once again shows Astrophil's deep longing for Stella, and the section closes with him blatantly lusting after her.


5. I'm still not absolutely sure whether Sidney meant Astrophil and Stella seriously or mockingly, but I'm starting to find myself siding more and more with the sarcastic argument. Throughout the last five sonnets, Astrophil's lust has been made completely unambiguous. He mentions her body parts numerous times, but never mentions a non-physical characteristic to suggest he truly loves her personality. His "love" seems very shallow, very surface-level. This leads me to conclude that he in fact lusts Stella, which would also lead to the conclusion that Sidney meant Astrophil and Stella to be mocking. If this is the case, the sonnets were written to make fun of romanticism and the unrealistic ideals that go along with it. As previously mentioned, I'm still not entirely sure that I'm choosing this side, but for the moment it seems the stronger option.


6. Sidney sticks with the Petrarchan style and still uses his italicized and upper-cased words. However, the word choice of the formatted words is more confusing in this section, with words like "Stella," "Nature," and "Love," appearing as usual, but also all of the countries and empires and "Morpheus," "Sleepe," and "Indes," appearing as well. I'm beginning to conclude that he uses different formatting for words he wants to emphasize, and that they do not necessarily have a direct connection. I would have thought that "Moone" would have been italicized but it was not.

Astrophil and Stella 3

3. In sonnets 23-27, Astrophil yet again struggles with his wits. They see the "dull pensivenesse" in his "long setled eyes," they recognize the "fumes of melancholy" and the "idle paines, and missing ayme, do guess." However, Astrophil is still confident in his love. His devotion to Stella is unwavering: "...all [his] thoughts hath neither stop nor start, / But only Stella's eyes and Stella's hart." Astrophil also recognizes his own flaws again, this time even more self-depricatingly. He acknowledges that "Wealth breeding want, more blist, more wretched grow." However, he asserts that he is victim to such terrible character flaws, particularly when later in the poem he admits that "Yet pride I thinke doth not my soule possesse, / Which lookes too oft in his unflattring glasse: / But one worse fault, Ambition, I confesse, / That makes me oft my best friends overpasse." Personally, I think that Astrophil does not mean this to tear himself down; rather, he is trying to show that he can see things clearly. He admits that his reason is clouded by love, but he is still able to discern things such as character flaws. If taken in a romantic light, this could be meant to show that he is capable of seeing flaws of Stella, but that she possesses none. Astrophil also speaks of a misalignment between understanding what love is and truly feeling love. "And knowing, love, and loving, lay apart / As sacred things..." can be used to demonstrate this idea. Just because one knows what love is does not mean that one has felt true love. Likewise, just because one has felt love does not mean he or she understands it. Because of this tendency to naivety, "...that rich foole, who by blind Fortune's lot / The richest gemme of Love and life enjoyes, / And can with foule abuse such beauties blot." Astrophil comes across as bitter here, angry that those in possession of love are so capable of destroying it. A question also arose in my mind while reading this passage: does "rich foole" refer to Lord Rich, who married Penelope Devereux? If the sonnets are truly autobiographical, this certainly may be the case. Astrophil also defends Stella's virtue, saying that the "wisest scholler" once said that "Vertue, if it once met with our eyes, / Strange flames of Love it in our soules would raise," and he claims that "It is most true, for since I her did see, / Vertue's great beautie in that face I prove, / And find th'effect, for I do burne in love."


4. At this point, Stella's majestic unearthly goodness has yet to depreciate. She is still held in the ultimate regard by Astrophil. These five sonnets once again contain his worship and outlandish cries of love for the woman. Sonnet 23 has Astrophil pining over the disagreement between his wits and his heart, only to side with his heart once again. Sonnet 24 is Astrophil's cry of unjustness, lamenting the abuse so many fools inflict upon their love and the sometimes non-parallel ideas of knowing love and experiencing love. In sonnet 25, Astrophil speaks of the scholar who suggested that when one meets a virtuous woman, he or she erupts into a burning, frenzied love, an incident that Astrophil claims to know much about. He asserts that he has undergone this occurrence in meeting Stella, once again holding her on an extremely lofty pedestal. Sonnet 26 was the most confusing to me, but I think that it was talking about astrology and how Astrophil views cynics as fools. He appears to hold much regard for the heavens and astrology in general. Although I don't see exactly how this fits in with the rest of the sonnets, I think it could have to do with the idea of Stella being "heavenly" and also with astrology and fate. Shakespeare's time, also Sidney's time, dealt heavily with the idea of fate, so this could tie in. Sonnet 27 is where Astrophil admits his flaws, particularly his ambition. In doing so, as I previously mentioned, I believe he is trying to show that he still has reason and logic. He can still see flaws, albeit none in Stella.


5. I am still unable to determine whether Sidney meant Astrophil and Stella to be sarcastic or taken seriously. The two ideas seem to be branching off from each other as the poems continue, yet I cannot decide which path I will take. If he means everything quite literally, meant to demonstrate the perils of love and loss, these five sonnets are once again quite sentimental and sweet. Astrophil is pining for his unrequited love. He defends her, he praises her, and he even becomes angry at the unlucky fortune he has had in not being allowed to love her freely, while plenty of fools love and take advantage of their love every day. However, if he means it sarcastically, it is only becoming more humorous. Astrophil is a bit over-the-top for me, so I can see quite clearly how he could be interpreted as an idiot, for lack of better term. He claims to be burning in love, but to me it sounds more like lust. He pines and blames people who take advantage of love, while really he could be trying to move on. His every thought is of "Stella's eyes and Stella's hart," which in itself is ridiculous. Obviously this is hyperbole, or he is a very sick man. I also fail to believe that Stella has absolutely no flaws; why can he not admit them? He admits his own quite freely, so I would think that it would not be such a stretch to admit that she does not return his love, or that she is at times unkind, or maybe even that she can be selfish or naive or impatient.


6. Once again, SIdney utilizes Petrarchan Sonnet structure throughout his sonnets. He still uses what I would consider perfect rhyme, although I still hold that in today's language and pronunciation it would be slant rhyme at best. The capitalizing and italicizing continues, although its meaning still escapes me. I've noticed that the selected words are not capitalized and/or italicized every time they appear; sometimes they are, sometimes they are not. Sometimes they are both capitalized and italicized, sometimes only one, and sometimes neither. Nature and Stella are the most commonly formatted words... I'm not sure if this has significance?

Astrophil and Stella 2

3. Sonnets 18-22 begin with Astrophil lamenting about the recklessness he exhibited throughout his youth, squandering all of the gifts given to him by heaven while "no good excuse can show." While likely once a virtuous man, he is now "unable quite to pay even Nature's rent." In his older and wiser state, he is shamed by his prior actions, and regrets his impertinent spending. Because of this waste, he is no longer worthy of the love of Stella. The lines "My wit doth strive those passions to defend, / Which for reward spoile it with vaine annoyes," demonstrate Astrophil's battle between reason and heart. His wit, or logic, says that he is being foolish to long so deeply for something (or someone) that he cannot have. It defends his actions in his youth, perhaps implying that mistakes and foolish temerity are a standard experience of youth. His heart, though, is angry with his previous carelessness. He yearns to make Stella his own, and can "lose no more for Stella's sake," yet it is beyond his control. The use of financial words is intriguing, especially in its frequency in sonnet 18. "Checkes," "audite," "banckrout," "lent," "rent," "ow," "wealth," and "spent," are all used throughout the first sonnet. This applies to the idea of Astrophil spending his gifts in his younger days. An interesting visual is drawn in sonnet 19, with Astrophil asserting that, "On Cupid's bow how are my heart-strings bent," then mentioning a wracke, a torture device. He again shows his undying love for Stella, claiming that his "verie inke turnes straight to Stella's name." The conflict is still there, as his "words... avise themselves that they are vainely spent." Although he loves her greatly, his reason is putting up a great battle. Stella, meaning a celestial body, is compared to the heavens, as Astrophil says that, "...unto me, who fare like him that both / Lookes to the skies, and in a ditch doth fall?" The more Astrophil gazes upon Stella, the farther he falls away from obtaining her. Sonnet 20 induces very unusual imagery, with Cupid sending a "bloudie bullet" into Astrophil, causing him his distress. Throughout the rest of the first five sonnets, Stella is still held in extremely high regard. After all, "Hath this world ought so faire as Stella is?" Astrophil is clearly in over his head, but I can't help to wonder if Sidney is being sincere or sarcastic.


4. Throughout the first five poems there is not a great deal of change. The tone stays relatively the same: Astrophil worships Stella throughout all five, expounding on his unstoppable and unlimited love for her. The first sonnet explains his dilemma, namely the state of his moral affairs and how they are lower than expectations hold. The second documents his agony, his longing for the wondrous Stella. The third gives the idea that his love is not his fault; rather, Cupid shot him while he was helpless, and therefore Cupid is to blame. The fourth sonnet tell of Astrophil's struggle to find reason and logic to dismiss his love, but the failure of his attempt. The last sonnet, number 22, possibly gives an example of Stella's beauty, even claiming that, "The Sunne which others burn'd, did her but kisse." Throughout all five sonnets Astrophil paints Stella to be an immaculate vision, a stunning and flawless being worthy of the heavens. It will be interesting to see if this will change over time. For the time being, there are no flaws with Stella, just Astrophil's self-proclaimed shortcomings.


5. As we mentioned in class, it is interesting to debate whether Sidney meant Astrophil and Stella to be sincere or mocking. On one hand, he could be writing a semi-autobiographical account of his relationship with Penelope Devereux. The struggles faced by Astrophil could represent his own internal battles; he could be genuinely using the sonnets to release his feelings or to document his experiences. If taken this way, the sonnets are touching and draw sympathy. They are extremely romantic and show a great love and passion. However, the sonnets could also be taken to be highly sarcastic. Sidney could be using Astrophil to emphasize the ludicrousness of romanticism, the overplayed nature of "love" as portrayed in writings and plays. He could be attempting to scorn Astrophil's unrequited love and quite unnecessary and unwanted passions. If this is truly the purpose of the work, the piece takes on entirely new meaning. Every phrase uttered by Astrophil becomes humorous. It is true that his adoration is almost obsessive; if viewed in a mocking tone, this can be interpreted as pointing out the ridiculousness of men in lust who view themselves as being in love. Most of the research I've found has pointed to Sidney being authentic in his writing of Astrophil and Stella. I am not sold either way yet, though.


6. Sidney utilizes the Petrarchan style of sonnet, consisting of ABBA-ABBA-CDCD-EE format. He follows the octave-sestet pattern quite strictly, and his rhymes never deviate from what I've seen. He generally uses perfect rhyme, although in today's pronunciation most of the rhymes might be considered slant rhymes. It has been said that Sidney was greatly influenced by Petrarch's work, and I can see how that could be deduced. His use of thematic words is interesting; as I pointed out, sonnet 18 uses financial words frequently. Sidney randomly capitalizes and italicizes words. I have yet to find a reason for this, my only guess is that the chosen words refer indirectly to Stella. Overall I like his structure, although the poetry itself is sometimes difficult to read and interpret.

Astrophil and Stella 1

1. Astrophil and Stella was written by SIr Philip Sidney (b. 11554, d. 1586), a man born into affluence. He was named after his godfather, King Philip II of Spain. After schooling and travel, he settled as a courtier in England. He spent time as an ambassador to the German Emporer and the King of Orange. When he returned to England he served on Queen Elizabeth I's court. He was banished from the Queen's court for some time after making his disapproval of her marriage to a Catholic known. Astrophil and Stella was written around 1576, when SIdney was involved in or had just come out of a relationship with Penelope Devereux. Penelope married another man, Lord Rich, in 1781, and Sidney later married another woman, Frances Walsingham. Sidney died at the young age of 32 from a bullet wound, his death causing much sorrow throughout England.

2. Astrophil and Stella has been compared heavily to Petrarch's Canzoniere. Written in the Elizabethan era but the sonnets are generally in Petrarchan structure. The sonnets are said to be about a man deeply in love with a married woman. He struggles both with himself and her coldness throughout the work. It is rumored that the poem is based on Sidney and Penelope Devereux's relationship; supposed to be married, Penelope instead married Lord Rich, much to the dismay of Sir Philip (Phil) Sidney. Some critics believe that Sidney intended to demonstrate the mortality of men and the tendency many have to let their emotions get the better of them. Others believe it is an analysis of human desire. Paradoxes play a large role in the sonnets, particularly with Sidney's internal struggle of lust vs. Protestant upbringing, and Stella's unavailability even if he were to make a move. Another theory is that the 108 sonnets of Astrophil and Stella represent the 108 suitors in The Odyssey. The suitors each agreed to attempt to hit a stone in order to win the hand of Penelope, each knowing that he would fail. This is applicable to Astrophil, who knows that Stella is unattainable yet cannot stop his longing.
Sidney uses a wide variety of rhyme schemes, although all 108 of the sonnets are in Petrarchan format. The couplet, interestingly, quite often contains a paradox that highlights Astrophil's yearning for Stella. The sonnets are accompanied by 11 songs, varying in composition style.