Sonnet 56

The most fascinating thing about Sonnet 56 was, for me, simply how far Hoover carried the basic concept behind the work. One could use the transmutation of a Shakespearean sonnet as an exercise of sorts, but writing a total of fifty-six renditions of the same work while retaining the original gist was nothing short of amazing. And these were not simple translations into different beats - in what ways the format changed, the poem's words or context changed appropriately. My favorite types by far were the ones that transformed it into a completely different form. For instance, the Epic Poem (20-21) or Lounge Singer (32) gave the words and message overall a unique spin yet retained the core elements of the sonnet. Overall, the most important thing I learned from Sonnet 56 is the versatility of both words and meaning, and how a modern poet could give a single sonnet written centuries ago so many forms.