Which poet first popularized the sonnet form

ENG 102: English Composition II

Mrs. Saitta-Ringger

Lecture Notes #3

Poetry: The Sonnet Form

I. Definition of a sonnet: a 14-line poem, written in iambic pentameter, that deals with a single thought or emotion. Traditional subjects of sonnets were love, death, and God/religion. (However, modern sonnets are not limited to these subjects.)

II. Background on the sonnet form

The sonnet form originated in 13th-century Italy, but was popularized by a 14th-century Italian poet, Francesco Petrarca (referred to in English as Petrarch). He wrote over 300 sonnets expressing his unrequited love for an idealized woman named Laura in a collection of poems called Il Canzoniere (Book of Songs). In the 16th century, an English poet named Sir Thomas Wyatt was introduced to the sonnet form when he traveled to Italy. He brought the sonnet from back to England, where he and other Elizabethan poets, including William Shakespeare, adapted the form to the English language. As a result, there are two types of sonnets: the Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet, and the English (or Shakespearean) sonnet.

A. Similarities between the two types: Both have 14 lines, are written in iambic pentameter, and contain a division in the thought of the poem.

B. Differences between the two types: They have different patterns of rhyme (rhyme schemes), and the division of thought occurs in different places.

III. Structure of the sonnet

A. What is meter?

Like music, poetry has a beat or rhythm; in poetry, this is called meter. As there are different types of beats/rhythms in music (jazz, hip-hop, rock, country, waltz, etc.), the same is true of poetry. In music, instruments like drums, bass guitar, etc. indicate the beat. In poetry, the relationship between unaccented (or unstressed) and accented (or stressed) syllables determines the beat.

B. What is iambic pentameter?

Iambic pentameter is one type of meter consisting of five feet (units) of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. One foot (unit) consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable is called an iamb ; if there are five iambs in a line, it is a line of iambic penta meter. Therefore, a line of iambic pentameter will always contain ten syllables. The following examples illustrate iambic pentameter:

[Key: u=an unaccented or unstressed syllable. / = an accented or stressed syllable.]

u / u / u / u / u /

Example 1: “Shall I com|pare thee to a sum|mer’s day?” (William Shakespeare)

u / u / u / u / u /

Example 2: “Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink” (Edna St. Vincent Millay)

C. What is rhyme scheme?

Another trait that poetry shares with music is that some poems rhyme following a very definite pattern. This pattern is called a rhyme scheme , and letters of the alphabet are usually used to indicate it. Assign the ending sound of the first line of a poem the letter A. Every time that same ending sound repeats in the poem, use the letter A again. For the next new ending sound, proceed to the next letter in the alphabet: B. Every time that same ending sound repeats in the poem, use the letter B again.

Imagine, for example, successive lines of a poem ending with these words. The rhyme scheme would be indicated as follows:

. . . cat A

. . . ball B

. . . sat A

. . . fall B

. . . play C

. . . sun D

. . . day C

. . . fun D

IV. Characteristics of a Petrarchan/Italian sonnet

A. Rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan/Italian sonnet: The octave (first 8 lines) rhyme abbaabba ; the sestet (next 6 lines) rhyme cdecde or cdcdcd . Following is an example of a Petrarchan sonnet and its rhyme scheme.

God's Grandeur, by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1877)
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. A

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; B

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil B

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? A

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; A

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; B

And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil B

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. A

And for all this, nature is never spent; C

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things; D

And though the last lights off the black West went C

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — D

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent C

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings. D

B. Division of thought in a Petrarchan/Italian sonnet: The fourteen lines are divided into an octave (an 8-line stanza) and a sestet (a 6-line stanza). The octave introduces the main idea of the poem. It could present a problem or pose a question. The sestet comments on the main idea. It could offer a solution to the problem or an answer to the question. The division of thought comes after line 8. Line 9 often indicates a turnaround or shift in the poet’s tone, mood, or position on the topic. (Note: In “God’s Grandeur,” there is an actual physical separation or space between the octave and the sestet; this will not be the case in most Petrarchan sonnets.)

V. Characteristics of a Shakespearean/English sonnet

A. Rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean/English sonnet: The first 12 lines of the poem consist of 3 quatrains (4-line stanzas). The 3 quatrains rhyme in an alternating pattern of ababcdcdefef ; the couplet (concluding 2 lines) rhyme gg . Following is an example of a Shakespearean sonnet and its rhyme scheme.

Love is Not All (Sonnet XXX), by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1931)
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink

A
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;

B
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink

A
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
B
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
C
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
D
Yet many a man is making friends with death
C
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.

D
It well may be that in a difficult hour,

E
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
F
Or nagged by want past resolution's power,
E
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
F
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
G
It well may be. I do not think I would.

G
B. Division of thought in a Shakespearean/English sonnet: The fourteen lines are divided into 3 quatrains (4-line stanzas) and a couplet (2 consecutive rhyming lines). The 3 quatrains introduce the main idea of the poem. This first part, which is most of the poem, could present a problem or pose a question. The couplet comments on the main idea. It could offer a solution to the problem or an answer to the question. The division of thought comes after line 12. Line 13 often indicates a turnaround or shift in the poet’s tone, mood, or position on the topic.

VI. Explication of a poem: A poetry explication is a relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem. Writing an explication is an effective way for a reader to connect a poem's plot and conflicts with its structural features. The rhyme scheme and division of thought for the two sample sonnets have already been identified here. Following is additional explication of each poem.

A. “God’s Grandeur” (also on p. 714)

Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Jesuit priest, wrote this poem in 1877 at the height of the Industrial Revolution, when manufacturing was replacing agriculture as the foundation of the economy in England. The octave presents a dismal picture of what man has done to God’s creation as he has exploited natural resources for mass production. The main idea of the octave is that man has left his mark on nature, and it is not a pretty one. The characteristic “turnaround” or change of tone of tone occurs in the sestet, which presents a more hopeful and positive comment on the main idea. Despite man’s destructive effect on God’s creation, “nature is never spent.” It has the power to regenerate itself because of God’s loving protection of the natural world.

The poem uses several poetic devices from the list of Poetry Terms (see definitions):

· Alliteration: “ g randeur . . . G od”; “ r eck . . . r od”; “ br own br ink”

· Assonance: “ o oze o f o il”

· Internal rhyme: “. . . And all is seared with trade; bleared , smeared with toil . . .”

· Enjambment: “It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?”

B. “Love is Not All”

This poem opens with the assertion that love is overrated and is, in fact, no big deal. The speaker presents a negative definition of love, describing the basic human needs that it cannot provide: food, sleep, shelter, health. Love is not going to save people who are drowning, either literally or figuratively. After opening with a “Who needs it?” approach to love, the poem starts to change tone in line 7 with the suggestion that some people may have the basic needs, but die “for lack of love alone.” The poet then applies these general thoughts about love to her personal circumstances. She imagines a scenario in which she is so needy that she might trade the love of her loved one for “peace” or “food,” but concludes that she would not. So while the main idea of the quatrains (at least the first two) is that “love is not all,” the comment in the concluding couplet is that love is everything.

The poem uses several poetic devices from the list of Poetry Terms (see definitions):

· Alliteration: “ r oof . . . r ain”; “ m any a m an is m aking”

· Repetition: “ sink /And rise and sink and rise and sink again”

· Enjambment: “. . . it is not meat nor drink

Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain”

· Personification: “Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,

Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone”

· Hyperbole: “It well may be that in a difficult hour,

Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution's power . . .”

** Goals for reading sonnets

You should be able to:

1. Write out (chart) the rhyme scheme of a sonnet.

2. Identify the sonnet type as Petrarchan or Shakespearean by using the rhyme scheme.

3. Count the 10 syllables in a line, and identify the use of iambic pentameter.

4. Identify where the division of thought comes in the sonnet.

5. Briefly summarize the main idea that the first part of the sonnet introduces, whether Petrarchan or Shakespearean.

6. Briefly summarize how the second part of the sonnet comments on the main idea presented in the first part, whether Petrarchan or Shakespearean.

7. Identify any other poetic devices on the list of Poetry Terms that are used in the sonnet; explain how those poetic devices contribute to the meaning of the poem.

8. Try your hand at writing an original sonnet! Yes, after we read a few sonnets, you are going to write an original one. This is what “Essay” #2 on poetry will consist of; it’s actually not an essay at all, but an original sonnet. Details and due dates for first and second drafts will follow.