What does it mean to call your book “The sonnets” versus “Sonnets”?
What does it mean for a woman to call her book “The sonnets” versus a man to call his book “The sonnets”?
What’s the difference between a man who writes sonnets and a woman who writes sonnets?
Why is Bernadette Mayer’s book called “Sonnets” and why is Ted Berrigan’s book called “The sonnets”?
Why is Shakespeare’s book called “Sonnets”?
Why is there a baby growing inside of me right now?
Why does it move when I eat tangerines?
Why did this baby live and why did some others die?
Why do most babies die?
Why is my baby alive and moving at this moment as I eat the last piece of my tangerine?
Why do you have such a large ego?
1. It means you are not planning to write any more sonnets.
4. See above.
5. We need to get Mr. W. H. in on this one.
I guess I’m being really literal: the sonnets makes me think of a kore definite marker, as in the sonnets of author y or x; whereas sonnets as it stands aloine suggests, to me, an indefinite state, in which the final tabulation has yet to occur.
As for women/men and differing registers: I’d say not much, as the TB ones aren’t high-serious are they, so the title with its definite article has a somewhat parodic quality which I think can be gendered numerously.
Have you read Karen Volkman’s Nomina? It’s interesting–at-times I feel it really doesn’t work, but when it does—yesssssssss, hotstuff!
I hope all’s well!
I haven’t read Karen Volkman’s sonnet book, but I’ve heard of it, so I should probably read it. I like other poems that she’s written that I’ve read though. Maybe I can find some of them online?
Oh I read “Crash’s Law”
Yep-yep, there are KV sonnets online for-sure! Even when a given one flops for me, I find it endlessly delightful to see someone working a Petrarchan end-rhyme scheme!