ABSTRACT
The collection of poems that Sir Robert Sidney, earl of Leicester, probably composed in the 1590s invites the kind of attention that has made the poems of his daughter, Lady Mary Wroth, rediscovered and published in 1979, staples of literature courses and critical work in the Renaissance. A Renaissance courtier who served elizabeth i loyally and achieved prominence in James i’s court, brother to Sir Philip Sidney and Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, father to Lady Mary Wroth, Robert Sidney’s social and political status alone would have made the discovery of these poems and their inaugural print edition in 1984 significant. But the uniqueness of the manuscript as an example of a Renaissance sonnet sequence in progress, the relatively slim volume of criticism so far, the poet’s relationship to other Sidney poets, and the poems’ voice and subtlety also suggest that Robert Sidney’s work merits further study-a point recognized by the Sidney Journal’s issue devoted to him in 2007.1 Besides discussing the poetry manuscript, its literary and familial context, the state of criticism so far, and the poems themselves, this introduction to Robert Sidney’s work exemplifies, albeit briefly, how a formalist approach2 can illuminate his accomplishment, countering some early criticisms of his style and skill, and suggesting further motivation and directions for study.
