How Does Rossetti Engage With The Sonnet Form?
This essay will address how Shakespeare and Rossetti engage with the sonnet form, through Rossetti’s “A Sonnet” (1881) and Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 52” (1609). Both poets arguably subvert the traditional Petrarchan sonnet genre, though in different ways. Rossetti’s “A Sonnet” explores the sonnet as an art form rather than as a means of currency, as this was a use of sonnets at the time, and how if treated as a commodity, the value of a sonnet is diminished. Similarly, Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 52” challenges the traditional sonnet genre, as he subverts the sonnet structure and hence creates his own “Shakespearian” sonnet. However, “Sonnet 52” still presents the traditional theme of romance, through the speaker’s idealisation of the “fair youth”. In
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Furthermore, the speaker challenges the Petrarchan sonnet genre, through his arguable portrayal of the sonnet as an art form. Rossetti was part of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, and was highly regarded for his work as a painter and illustrator, therefore his exploration of the artistic construction of the sonnet is to be expected. This idea is supported by the speaker’s suggestion that the act of writing a sonnet was a craft, for instance in line six: “carve it in ivory or in ebony”. The use of “carve” suggests the speaker may believe the sonnet is a piece of art, and should not be written as a means of generating profit. This is supported by the use of “ebony and ivory”, which serves to remind the reader of the black ink of printed, mass-produced poetry (6). Rossetti, in his later years, refused to display his art in major galleries and often delayed his poetry from publication, perhaps to protect his art from becoming mass produced. Indeed he presented the sonnet in its original design to his mother as a personal gift, choosing not to reveal it to the mass market, as may have been expected. Wayne agrees that Rossetti “had remained an artist with negligible public exposure” (Wayne, 2000). Therefore, through his resistance to publishing, the speaker challenges the conventions of the sonnet
Furthermore, the speaker challenges the Petrarchan sonnet genre, through his arguable portrayal of the sonnet as an art form. Rossetti was part of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, and was highly regarded for his work as a painter and illustrator, therefore his exploration of the artistic construction of the sonnet is to be expected. This idea is supported by the speaker’s suggestion that the act of writing a sonnet was a craft, for instance in line six: “carve it in ivory or in ebony”. The use of “carve” suggests the speaker may believe the sonnet is a piece of art, and should not be written as a means of generating profit. This is supported by the use of “ebony and ivory”, which serves to remind the reader of the black ink of printed, mass-produced poetry (6). Rossetti, in his later years, refused to display his art in major galleries and often delayed his poetry from publication, perhaps to protect his art from becoming mass produced. Indeed he presented the sonnet in its original design to his mother as a personal gift, choosing not to reveal it to the mass market, as may have been expected. Wayne agrees that Rossetti “had remained an artist with negligible public exposure” (Wayne, 2000). Therefore, through his resistance to publishing, the speaker challenges the conventions of the sonnet