An Apology for Poetry (or The Defence of Poesy)

This work of literary theory by the celebrated soldier-poet Sir Philip Sidney has been seen as one of the most important published in the Renaissance. Since 1965 Geoffrey Shepherd's edition of the "Apology" has been the standard, and this revision of Shepherd's edition, with a new introduction and extensive notes, is designed to introduce Sidney's work of wit and inventiveness to a new generation of readers at the beginning of the 21st century. Unfamiliar words and phrases are glossed, classical and other references explained, and difficult passages analysed in detail. This expanded edition is aimed at all those interested in the Renaissance, from students and teachers at school and university to the inquisitive general reader.