Why Lyrics Last

Boyd (English, Univ. of Auckland, New Zealand; On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction) asserts that although literary poetry has lost the interest of the general population over time, we must acknowledge how Shakespeare's sonnets have the same attractive power as contemporary nursery rhymes, jingles, and pop music. Boyd notes that Shakespeare's sonnets contain the "patterns that indicate the actions, intentions, dispositions, and characters of members of our own species," and by refusing to configure his sonnets into a narrative, "he can give voice to the fluctuations and repetitions that we recognize in our own emotions and ruminations." Boyd compares the 154 sonnets to a kaleidoscope in which Shakespeare "may offer fresh configurations at each new tap or shake"; it is Shakespeare's subtle, insightful wordplay that invites us to revisit these poems.