Bi-qi Beatrice Lei: Dissertation

This project explores the erotic dimension in the Arcadia, with attention to the differences among the three versions of the work. Comparing Sidney's conception and treatment of love with diverse traditions, from the courtly and chivalric conventions, Renaissance Neoplatonism, to Protestant marriage, I argue that Sidney escapes unambiguous categorization. Arcadian love is elusive, always implying something more than its apparent, understood, or declared meaning. A demand for love denotes multiple desires, and the network of reference employs various figures, myths, types, diagrams, and symbols. I analyze each of the Arcadian loves to reveal its multiple layers. Many contemporary models of love are tested in the narrative workings of Sidney's work. In line with Petrarch, Arcadian lovers aestheticize and textualize love. Erotic desire and poetic invention are intricately confounded.