Sonnets by William Wallis

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the meaning of several poems by William Wallis from his Sonnets, such as "This is the Devil's Own Work" or "The Critic", in which the poet compares the act of criticism to a burglary. Criticism is seen as an act of scraping off layers to seek evidence and as similar to discovering the nature of a burglary by looking at the broken windows.

From the Paper:

""This is the devil's own work, or the critic's" In this sonnet, the poet compares the act of criticism to a burglary. Criticism is seen as an act of scraping off layers to seek evidence and as similar to discovering the nature of a burglary by looking at the broken windows. The critic in this case is named Mr. Lane (whether this is a real person or not is not indicated in the poem itself). As a critic, says the poet, "His squint at the surface brilliance shows/ The success of my method and elbows," the elbows linking back to the idea of cleaning the windows before the house is burgled."

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