CM British Lit.

The neo-Petrarchan sonnet

  • 16th century poetry 
  • sonnet= short lyrical love poem
    • a lot in at that time
  • imitations of Petrarch (14th century Italian poet)
  • Introduced in England by Sir Thomas Wyatt & Henry Howard (Earl of Surrey)
  • Alas! So All things Now Do Hold Their Peace! by Howard 
    • about the pain and suffering caused by love
    • torn between ecstasy and despair
    • only two rhymes
      • normally abab cdcd efef gg
  • Howard introduced the rhyme pattern which Shakespeare uses 
  • love is compared to war and the lady’s eyes are compared to darts or arrows that can kill
  • The lady’s cruelty is matched only by her goddess-like perfection
  • sometimes a Neoplatonic dimension to Petrarchan poetry
    • = one can transcend mundane reality and elevate one’s soul thanks to study and contemplation
      • the lover can sublimate his desire for the unattainable lady & turn it into religious feelings
  • sometimes made in cycles & made to tell a story

Diskussion