Blotted Lines: Early Modern English Literature and the Poetics of Discomposition

Blotted Lines challenges the myth that William Shakespeare never blotted out a line and argues that by studying how early modern writers faced the challenges of writing poetry, instructors can empower their students with approaches to critical writing. Adhaar Noor Desai's book offers deeply researched accounts of how poetic labor intersected with early modern rhetorical theory, material culture, and social networks, identifying instances of discomposition in the work of such writers as George Gascoigne, Philip Sidney, John Davies of Hereford, Lady Anne Southwell, and Shakespeare. It inspires poets to unmake their poems and remake them, catalyzing ongoing thinking and learning.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 282 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2023
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Rewritten text:
Blotted Lines challenges centuries of mythologization about the creative process, contending that William Shakespeare did indeed blot out lines during his writing. By examining the challenges faced by early modern writers in the realm of poetry, instructors can empower their students with effective approaches to critical writing. Adhaar Noor Desai provides meticulously researched accounts of how poetic labor intersected with early modern rhetorical theory, material culture, and social networks. Through a detailed analysis of the manuscripts of writers such as George Gascoigne, Philip Sidney, John Davies of Hereford, Lady Anne Southwell, and Shakespeare, Desai identifies instances of discomposition—frustration, hesitation, self-doubt, and insecurity—in their work. These poets embraced discomposition as a catalyst for ongoing thinking and learning, seeking to unmake their poems in order to remake them. Blotted Lines brings literary scholarship into conversation with modern composition studies, challenging early modern literary studies to treat writing as both a noun and a verb and emphasizing the ways in which poetry and criticism can model for students the cultivation of patience, collaboration, and risk in their writing.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501769849