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Contents |
Brief History of the Sonnet FormAlthough the Italian sonnet is also labelled Petrarchan, as the English sonnet also bears the name of Shakespearian, nothing could be more erroneous. It was in fact created by Giacomo da Lentini, (1188-1240) head of thirteen other notaries who formed the Sicilian School of Court Poetry (14 total) and later the Neo-Sicilian School (1235-1294) when he moved to Tuscany. There he started writing in his own language which was Italian, and wrote almost 300 sonnets. Other members of this school included Dante Alighieri (1235-1321) and Guido Cavalcanti (1250-1300). The most famous user of this form was Francesco Petrarcha (1304-1374) whose sonnets became popular throughout Europe. Petrarcha actually revived a lagging form and gave it even more life. At this point it should be emphasised that the form had been deliberately created with 14 lines, whether it was because of the number of the school or a spiritual and mathematical formula of 8 and 6, is still being argued, but the fact is that it was a ratio of 8 and 6, a statement and volta or turning point, making a 14 line poem. The Spanish form follows the Italian form and is merely an Italian Octave with a Sicilian Sestet. The French also liked the Italian octave, but decided they would make the volta more explosive and made it a couplet with a following quatrain and a similar pattern to the previously used quatrain, thus making it a definite change rather than casual one or ignoring a change completely, whilst still maintaining the 8/6 ratio. During his ambassadorial travels through the courts of France, Spain and Italy, Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503 - 1542) was without doubt, privy to the sonnets that abounded there and later it is alleged that his sonnet "Whoso list to hunt" was about having to give up his love for Anne Boleyn and was based around Petrarch's Rhyme 190. He is credited with introducing the English sonnet form and translating some of Petrarch's poetry. He was also an admirer of Chaucer innovative languages, but it took 15 years after his death before any of his work was published. Looking at some of his work, a true Petrarchan can be seen originally, however with his later work a deviation becomes apparent where he uses the Italian quatrain to make the octave, but the volta uses a tercet pattern which whilst appearing to be 6 line could also be considered a quatrain and a couplet. It can be hypothesised that the next step was using three quatrains and a couplet, and called the English Sonnet, being English they would ignore the reasons for 8/6. Geoffrey Chaucer - Linguistic. Chaucer wrote in continental accentual-syllabic metre, a style which had developed since around the twelfth century as an alternative to the alliterative Anglo-Saxon metre. (Court Poetry). Chaucer is known for metrical innovation, (writing in English) inventing the Rime Royal, and he was one of the first English poets to use the five-stress line, the iambic pentameter, in his work, with only a few anonymous short works using it before him. His most famous use was in the Canterbury Tales. The form still evolving, much later William Shakespeare, like many of his contemporaries, wrote poetry and drama in iambic pentameter. There is some debate over whether works such as Shakespeare's were originally performed with the rhythm prominent, or whether it was embedded in the patterns of normal speech as is common today. In either case, when read aloud, such verse naturally follows a beat. |
| Italian Sonnet Petrarchan |
No set structure originally, then followed the forms below, which are Iambic Pentameter |
| Italian Sonnet Basic Form |
Italian Octave..a.b.b.a..a.b.b.a Italian Sestet..c.d.e.c.d.e. Pre-Iambic Pentameter |
| Italian Sonnet Sicilian |
Sicilian Octave..a.b.a.b...a.b.a.b Sicilian Sestet..c.d.c.d.c.d. Pre-Iambic Pentameter |
| Italian Sonnet Sonetto Rispetto |
Ottava Rima Octave..a.b.a.b.a.b.c.c. Italian Sestet..d.e.f.d.e.f. Sicilian Sestet..d.e.d.e.d.e. Pre-Iambic Pentameter |
| French Sonnet | Italian Octave, Sestet begins..c.c. then..d.c.c.d..or..d.e.e.d..or..d.e.d.e. Ten syllable meter |
| Spanish Sonnet | Italian Octave..a.b.b.a..a.b.b.a Rima Alterata..c.d.c.d.c.d. Ten syllable meter |
| Wyatt Sonnet | a.b.b.a..a.c.c.a..d.e.e.d.f.f. Pre-Iambic Pentameter |
| Spenserian Sonnet | a.b.a.b..b.c.b.c..c.d.c.d..e.e. Pre-Iambic Pentameter |
| English Sonnet (Shakespearian) |
a.b.a.b..c.d.c.d..e.f.e.f..g.g. Iambic Pentameter |
| Keats Sonnet | a.b.c..a.b.d..c.a.b..c.d.e..d.e. Any meter |
| Pushkin Sonnet | a.b.a.b...c.c.d.d...e.f.f.e...g.g. Any meter |
| Blank Verse | No rhyme pattern Iambic Pentameter |
| Free Form | No rhyme pattern No meter |
Complex Variations |
Additions of Lines, Stanza or Sonnets |
Introduction to Controversial Sonnet Forms (Quatorzain)Historically Quatorzain was often used in place of the name Sonnet. Derived from the French quatorze (fourteen) it is a poem of fourteen lines and for a while was used to "distinguish" "true" from "false" sonnets, because many poets will argue that the only true sonnet is in iambic pentameter an English poetry form. The term Quatorzain has fallen out of favour but not the Sonnet. The very origins of the sonnet was an established Italian romance form which the English adapted during a period when the English language itself was not formalised. Also the originator of iambic pentameter was also credited with creating the Rime Royal. As well as the French sonnet there is the Rondel Prime, and that is also sometimes called a French sonnet, should we ignore it because it is French and not in iambic pentameter. We already know that some conventional forms do not have IP either. The Rondel Prime has the basic requirements, it is a little song and it has 14 lines. Surely as poets we have to open our minds not close them? If we include the French, then we must also include others. The Arabs who are notoriously romantic and construct 14 line poems, should be included and what of Asian poets, they may also meet the basic requirements? Perhaps this bag of worms that has been opened could only be done so on the internet where minds are free. I will leave this up to you to think about, but one thing I will say, no true poet narrows their path or closes their mind to new ideas. This part deals with unusual sonnet forms and is arguably unique, containing details of some sonnet forms that are seen on various poetry sites, but not published in any authoritative form book in the world at this time. This second part has some Repeating Poetry Forms and whilst still retaining their essential form, they have been modified slightly to make a sonnet in that they are presented as a 14 line poem. The Ghazal, Luc Bat and the Rondel Prime are natural sonnets also the Kyrielle only needed additional lines. All alterations have been done to retain as much of original form as possible, with the exception of the Sestina. The Sestina Sonnet is really only a shadow or little sister of the conventional Sestina, but never the less it still retains the fundamentals. The Alfred Dorn sonnet can be considered to be a modern sonnet having been created by a poetic master and attained acceptance by winning a poetry contest. What I think is important to say is that all the original sonnet forms were conceived as single stanza poems comprising 14 lines, and I think to make them more acceptable all controversial poetry purporting to be a sonnet should follow that rule also, otherwise they would be X number of stanzas totalling 14 lines. Quick guide to forms(for more information click on the form) |
| Alfred Dorn Sonnet | a.b.c.a.b.c...d.d...a.e.a.e.a.e. No Meter Specified |
| Australian Sonnet | a.b.b.a...c.d.d.c...e.f.f.e...g.g. Any meter |
| Blues Sonnet | A.A.a...B.B.b...C.C.c...D.D.d...e.e. Iambic Pentameter Or..Do yo thang |
| Brisbane Sonnet | a.b.c.a.b.c.d.e.f.d.e.f.g.g. Iambic Pentameter or Similar |
| Cornish Sonnet | ...a.b.a.c.b. C....d.e.d.f.e.F...C.F. Or..A.b.a.c.b.c....D.e.d.f.e.f.... A.D. Or..A.b.a.c.b.c....d.e.d.f.e.F....A.F |
| Curtal Sonnet | ...a. b. c. a. b. c....d. c. b. d. c. Or..a. b. c. a. b. c....d. b. c. d. c. last line spondee, or at least a tail shorter |
| Cyhydedd Fer Sonnet | a.a.b.b...c.c.d.d...e.e.f.f...g.g 8 syllable lines |
| Curtal Sonnet | ...a. b. c. a. b. c....d. c. b. d. c. Or..a. b. c. a. b. c....d. b. c. d. c. last line spondee, or at least a tail shorter |
| Echo Sonnet | A.b.b.A1...a.c.c.A1...a.d.d.A1...A.A1 Iambic Pentameter |
| Envelope Sonnet | A.A..b.A..c.A..d.A..e.A..f.A..g.A No Meter Specified |
| Ghazal | A.A..b.A..c.A..d.A..e.A..f.A..g.A No Meter Specified |
| Kyrielle | A.b.a.B...c.b.c.B...d.b.d.B...A.B. Or.,A.a.b.B...c.c.b.B...d.d.b.B...A.B. No Meter Specified |
| Luc Bat | a.(a.x.b).b.(b.x.c).c.(c.x.d).d.(d.x.e). e.(e.x.f).f.(f.x.g).g.(g.x.a) No Meter Specified |
| Pantoum | A.b1.a.b2..b1.c1.b2.c2..c1.a1.c2.A..a1.A No Meter Specified |
| Rime Royal | ....a.b.a.b.b.c.c...d.e.d.e.e.f.f. No Meter Specified |
| Rondel Prime | ....A.B.a.b...a.b.A.B...a.b.b.a.A.B Or..A.B.a.b...a.b.A.B...a.b.a.b.A.B No Meter Specified |
| Rosarian | 1....a.a.b.c.c...d.d.b.e.e...f.g.g.f 2....a.a.b.c.c...d.d.b.e.e...f.g.f.g 3....a.a.b.c.c...d.d.b.e.e...b.b.f.f |
| Rubaiyat | a.a.b.a...b.b.c.b...c.c.a.c...a.a No Meter Specified |
| Saraband | 3. 4. 3. 4 any variation of tercet with any quatrain No Meter Specified |
| Sestina | a.b.c.d.e...e.a.d.c.b...b.e.c.(a.d.) No Meter Specified |
| Swannet | A1.b.b.A2...c.d.d.c...e.f.f.e...A1.A2. No Meter Specified |
| Terza Rima Sonnet | a.b.a...b.c.b...c.d.c...d.e.d...e.e. No Meter Specified |
| Triolet | A B a A a b A B a A a b AB No Meter Specified |
| Villanelle | A1.b.A2..a.b.A1..a.b.A2..a.b.A1..A1 No Meter Specified |
| Wreathed or Un-wreathed Sonnet |
(Un-)Wreath Octave and Sestet or 3x (Un-)Wreath Quatrains and a Couplet No Meter Specified |
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