The Evolution of the English Sonnet or the Corruption of the Italian Sonnet
The Evolution of the English Sonnet or The Corruption of the Italian Sonnet
Petrarch (Francesco Petrarcha) (1304-1374): The Petrarchan Sonnet
Background:
• Wrote a collection called variously Canzoniere (canzone means song), Rerum vulgarium fragmenta (Fragments of vernacular things), or Rime Sparse (Scattered Rhymes)
• Considered the Father of the sonnet, from Ital. sonetto, meaning a little song or sound
• Wrote a volume containing 366 poems in the Tuscan vernacular; 317 of which are sonnets
• Divided the poems into two parts. Some scholars believe this reflects Laura’s Life and Death
• Declared himself the Poet Laureate. Prided himself on writing Africa, an unfinished Latin epic
Inspiration:
• “Laura,” probably Laure de Sade, a married noblewoman from Avignon
• Petrarch’s fictionalized relationship with Laura resembles the poetic stance Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) adopted toward Beatrice in his Vita Nuova and Divide Comedy. At times, the virtuous lady acts as a guide to his distressed soul.
Themes:
• the beauty of the idealized, virtuous mistress
• hyperbolic praises of golden hair, white skin, red lips, blue, gray, or clear eyes; features often compared to natural or celestial objects; Ovidian myths play a big role, especially Diana and Acteon, Apollo and Daphne
• In Italian lauro=laurel tree, l’aura=breeze, l’auro=gold
Structure:
• Octave: The first eight lines of the fourteen line sonnet
• Sestet: The six concluding lines
• Volta (or turn): The shift in thought occurring in the eighth or ninth line that separates the octave from the sestet
• Rhyme-Scheme: abba abba cde cde
Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542): The Warped Petrarchan Sonnet
Background:
• Poet and courtier at the court of Henry VIII
• Traveled to Italy during the Petrarchan sonnet craze
• Translated many Petrarchan sonnets into English, as did Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547); also wrote original poems and sonnets
Inspiration:
• Arrested under suspicion of
Petrarch (Francesco Petrarcha) (1304-1374): The Petrarchan Sonnet
Background:
• Wrote a collection called variously Canzoniere (canzone means song), Rerum vulgarium fragmenta (Fragments of vernacular things), or Rime Sparse (Scattered Rhymes)
• Considered the Father of the sonnet, from Ital. sonetto, meaning a little song or sound
• Wrote a volume containing 366 poems in the Tuscan vernacular; 317 of which are sonnets
• Divided the poems into two parts. Some scholars believe this reflects Laura’s Life and Death
• Declared himself the Poet Laureate. Prided himself on writing Africa, an unfinished Latin epic
Inspiration:
• “Laura,” probably Laure de Sade, a married noblewoman from Avignon
• Petrarch’s fictionalized relationship with Laura resembles the poetic stance Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) adopted toward Beatrice in his Vita Nuova and Divide Comedy. At times, the virtuous lady acts as a guide to his distressed soul.
Themes:
• the beauty of the idealized, virtuous mistress
• hyperbolic praises of golden hair, white skin, red lips, blue, gray, or clear eyes; features often compared to natural or celestial objects; Ovidian myths play a big role, especially Diana and Acteon, Apollo and Daphne
• In Italian lauro=laurel tree, l’aura=breeze, l’auro=gold
Structure:
• Octave: The first eight lines of the fourteen line sonnet
• Sestet: The six concluding lines
• Volta (or turn): The shift in thought occurring in the eighth or ninth line that separates the octave from the sestet
• Rhyme-Scheme: abba abba cde cde
Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542): The Warped Petrarchan Sonnet
Background:
• Poet and courtier at the court of Henry VIII
• Traveled to Italy during the Petrarchan sonnet craze
• Translated many Petrarchan sonnets into English, as did Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547); also wrote original poems and sonnets
Inspiration:
• Arrested under suspicion of