Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella: A Reader’s Guide

The Astrophil and Stella sonnet sequence by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) was one of the most famous and influential collections of poems published during the entire English Renaissance. Sidney was deeply admired, both as a poet and as a man, by Ben Jonson, who also had close ties to other members of the Sidney family. Jonson's respect for Sidney's character and writings was shared by almost everyone at the time. It therefore seems appropriate to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Ben Jonson Journal by publishing this detailed, comprehensive, poem-by-poem analysis of Sidney's collection. Jonathan Smith explores each poem individually, discusses the themes and techniques they share, does so in clear, straightforward language, and thus makes Astrophil and Stella more accessible to scholars, students, and general readers.