A World Behind the Sonnet
The sonnet is a traditional form of poetry founded in Italy in the early thirteenth century. The chapter “The Sonnet” by Marilyn Hacker from the book, An Exaltation of Forms written by Annie Finch and Katherine Varnes details the various changes through the evolution of the sonnet as well as its differences in form throughout cultures. Falsely associated with its constricting and difficult construction by American college seniors, the traditional piece offers various freedoms and pitfalls discovered throughout its 14-line composition.
Even with its dotted history and varied form, the sonnet remains the chosen scapegoat for individuals against the supposed limitations of the formal verse. Created in Sicily by Jacopo (or Giacomo) de Lentini, the fourteen-line model was meant to be sung: “by combining two Sicilian quatrains — rhyming abababab — with a sestet rhymed cdecde” (Hacker 298). This traditional rhyme scheme was varied until the adoption of the double envelope quatrain on two rhymes followed by a sestet using a varied pattern for approximately two or three rhymes.
The sonnet transcribed itself into two forms: the English sonnet and the Italian sonnet. The Italian sonnet was written in “hendecasyllabic verse: lines of eleven syllables, not regularly stressed as in English iambic pentameter so that the presence of rhyme was necessary to mark the form and turnings of the poem” (Hacker 298). Also by looking at these rhyme schemes, it is clear for the reader to see that a sonnet primarily divides an argument into two parts, a premise set within the first eight lines, followed by a sestet referring to the premise.
The English sonnet, however, was brought back to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt after his travels in Italy and Spain in the 1530s. Sir Wyatt created sonnets himself, which showed a preference for a closing couplet in the sestet which quickly became a foundational characteristic of the English sonnet, while rare in the Italian form. Iambic pentameter was used rather than rhyme, and often included a much shorter line. In order to match our rhyme-poor English, Henry Howard, the earl of Surrey, worked to establish the model of “four quatrains and a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg” (Hacker 300) which become quite the innovative technique for the English sonnet.
Although popular throughout various languages, there is one subject throughout cultures that keeps the sonnet constant, which is the association of the sonnet with love. Despite the various changes brought to the sonnet through the Italian and English language, love has remained a primary focus throughout this piece of literature. Primarily focusing on the ideas of love’s ideals versus its temporality, the focus of love marks the form’s history throughout every language.
“The Useful” written by W.H. Auden is a sonnet that clearly portrays the importance of rhyme throughout the piece. The first stanza uses an ababc rhyme scheme followed by an abad rhyme scheme in the second stanza and finished with an abbad rhyme scheme. While the rhyme scheme may not be the same throughout the stanzas, the rhyming of the last line to the unrhymed line in the second stanza does a great job of ending the poem and making it seem full circle. In addition, the rhyming words presented at the end of each line gives that word a clear emphasis:
“The over-logical fell for the witch
Whose argument converted hum to stone;
Thieves rapidly absorbed the over-rich;
The over-popular went mad alone” (Auden 306).
The words “witch”, “stone”, “rich”, and “alone” all seem important due to their rhyme throughout the sonnet. While the rhyme not only draws attention to important subjects, it also allows the reader to see when there are shifting or finished ideas.
The sonnet has gone through a great evolution since its creation in Sicily in the early thirteenth century to the adaption to the English language in the 1530s. Despite the various changes made to the form and rhyme scheme of the sonnet over the years, the main components and subjects of the work remain consistent while the work remains popular over 500 years later.
Auden, W.H. “The Useful.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Edited by Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes. Ann Arbor: U. of Michigan Press, 2002. pp. 306.
Hacker, Marilyn. “The Sonnet.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Edited by. Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes. Ann Arbor: U. of Michigan Press, 2002. pp. 297–307.
