ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines that reflects upon a single issue or idea. It usually takes a turn, called a “volta, ” about 8 lines in, and then resolves the issue by the end. Shakespearean sonnets use iambic pentameter and an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme, but don’t worry too much about all that.

Detailed explanation-2: -Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization. The name is taken from the Italian sonetto, which means “a little sound or song.”

Detailed explanation-3: -A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of Surrey in the 16th century. Literally a “little song, ” the sonnet traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought in its concluding lines.

Detailed explanation-4: -Types of Sonnets. There are many sonnet examples. Three common types of sonnet include: the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet; the English or Shakespearean sonnet; and the Spenserian sonnet.

Detailed explanation-5: -The form seems to have originated in the 13th century among the Sicilian school of court poets, who were influenced by the love poetry of Provençal troubadours. From there it spread to Tuscany, where it reached its highest expression in the 14th century in the poems of Petrarch.