First Impressions: The Sidneys and Penshurst

Now that you have spent some time examining the work of the Sidney family, please share your thoughts by posting to the comments section below.

1. How important do you think the family network is to each of the Sidney writers? Is it more important for female rather than male writers?

2. Can you give any examples of collaboration between the Sidney writers?

3. What similarities can you see between the poetic construction of Penshurst in Ben Jonson’s poem or in Sir Philip Sidney’s description of Kalander’s household in ‘The Countess Penshurst’s Arcadia’ and the real Penshurst Place and gardens?

Look at the images on the Penshurst Place interactive garden map

1. How do Sir Philip Sidney and Lady Mary Wroth’s depiction of a pastoral landscape contrast in mood?

2. How are poetry and writing intertwined with the landscape in pastoral literature and in Sidney and Wroth’s writings?

Tag suggestions:

#arcadia #utopia #marywrote #benjonson #topenshurst #penshurstgardens #family #femalewriters #malewriters