📜British Literature I Unit 9 – Renaissance Poetry and Sonnets

Historical Context and Literary Movement

• Renaissance period in England (14th-17th centuries) marked by a revival of classical learning and a flourishing of the arts
• Humanism emphasized the importance of the individual and the study of classical texts (Greek and Roman)
• Printing press invention in the 15th century enabled the dissemination of literature to a wider audience
  • Increased literacy rates and access to books
  • Facilitated the spread of ideas and knowledge
• Patronage system supported poets and artists, with wealthy individuals and royalty commissioning works
• Influence of Italian Renaissance poetry, particularly Petrarch's sonnets, on English poets
• Development of the English sonnet form, adapted from the Italian sonnet
  • Popularized by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
• Emergence of the English Renaissance as a distinct literary movement, characterized by a focus on human experience and emotions

Key Poets and Their Works

• Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542)
  • Introduced the sonnet form to England
  • Famous works include "Whoso List to Hunt" and "They Flee From Me"
• Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1516-1547)
  • Developed the English sonnet form, also known as the Shakespearean sonnet
  • Notable works include "Love, That Doth Reign and Live Within My Thought" and "Alas! So All Things Now Do Hold Their Peace"
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
  • Prolific playwright and poet, renowned for his sonnets
  • Composed 154 sonnets exploring themes of love, beauty, and the passage of time
  • Famous sonnets include Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"), Sonnet 116 ("Let me not to the marriage of true minds"), and Sonnet 130 ("My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun")
• Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
  • Known for his epic poem "The Faerie Queene" and his sonnet sequence "Amoretti"
  • Developed the Spenserian sonnet, a variant of the English sonnet form
• Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)
  • Wrote the sonnet sequence "Astrophil and Stella," exploring the theme of unrequited love
  • Also known for his prose work "The Defence of Poesy," a treatise on the value of poetry

Sonnet Structure and Form

• Sonnets are 14-line poems with a specific rhyme scheme and meter
• English (Shakespearean) sonnet:
  • Consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a concluding couplet
  • Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
  • Typically written in iambic pentameter (ten syllables per line with alternating unstressed and stressed syllables)
• Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet:
  • Divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines)
  • Rhyme scheme: abbaabba cdecde or abbaabba cdcdcd
  • Often presents a problem or question in the octave and a resolution or answer in the sestet
• Spenserian sonnet:
  • Similar to the English sonnet, with three quatrains and a couplet
  • Rhyme scheme: abab bcbc cdcd ee
  • Linking rhymes between the quatrains create a sense of continuity
• Volta (turn):
  • A shift in the poem's tone, subject matter, or perspective
  • Occurs between the octave and sestet in Italian sonnets and before the concluding couplet in English sonnets

Themes and Motifs

• Love and romance
  • Exploration of various aspects of love, including courtly love, unrequited love, and the nature of true love
  • Idealization of the beloved and the power of love to transform the lover
• Beauty and its transience
  • Celebration of the beloved's physical beauty and its ability to inspire the poet
  • Acknowledgment of the fleeting nature of beauty and the inevitability of time's passage
• Time and mortality
  • Reflection on the brevity of human life and the desire to preserve beauty and love through poetry
  • Use of imagery related to seasons, aging, and death to emphasize the ephemeral nature of existence
• Nature and the natural world
  • Employment of natural imagery to convey emotions and ideas
  • Comparison of the beloved's beauty to elements of nature (flowers, celestial bodies)
• Self-reflection and introspection
  • Exploration of the poet's own emotions, desires, and struggles
  • Examination of the role of the poet and the power of poetry to immortalize the subject

Language and Imagery

• Figurative language
  • Extensive use of metaphors, similes, and personification to convey complex ideas and emotions
  • Example: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (Shakespeare, Sonnet 18) - comparing the beloved to a summer day
• Sensory imagery
  • Vivid descriptions that appeal to the reader's senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste)
  • Creates a rich, immersive experience and enhances the emotional impact of the poem
• Allusions
  • References to classical mythology, biblical stories, and historical figures
  • Adds depth and layers of meaning to the poem, often used to elevate the subject or convey universal themes
• Wordplay and puns
  • Clever use of language to create multiple meanings and engage the reader
  • Example: "And summer's lease hath all too short a date" (Shakespeare, Sonnet 18) - "date" referring to both time and a romantic engagement
• Repetition and parallel structure
  • Reinforces key ideas and creates a sense of rhythm and unity within the poem
  • Example: "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; / Coral is far more red than her lips' red" (Shakespeare, Sonnet 130) - repetition of "red" emphasizes the contrast between conventional beauty and the speaker's beloved

Influence on Later Literature

• Establishment of the sonnet as a major poetic form in English literature
  • Continued to be used and adapted by poets in subsequent centuries
  • Influenced the development of other poetic forms and styles
• Inspiration for later poets and writers
  • Romantic poets (e.g., William Wordsworth, John Keats) drew on the themes and techniques of Renaissance sonnets
  • Victorian poets (e.g., Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti) engaged with the sonnet form and its conventions
• Enduring popularity and relevance
  • Sonnets continue to be studied, analyzed, and appreciated by readers and scholars
  • Themes explored in Renaissance sonnets remain relevant to the human experience across time and cultures
• Adaptation and subversion of the sonnet form
  • Modern and contemporary poets have experimented with the sonnet form, challenging its conventions and exploring new possibilities
  • Example: Terrance Hayes' "American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin" - a collection of sonnets addressing issues of race, identity, and politics in contemporary America

Analysis Techniques

• Close reading
  • Careful examination of the poem's language, structure, and literary devices
  • Attention to word choice, syntax, and punctuation to uncover layers of meaning
• Contextual analysis
  • Consideration of the historical, cultural, and biographical context in which the poem was written
  • Understanding how the poet's life experiences and the prevailing social and artistic movements influenced their work
• Comparative analysis
  • Comparing and contrasting sonnets by different poets or within a single poet's body of work
  • Identifying similarities and differences in themes, techniques, and styles to gain a deeper understanding of the genre
• Thematic analysis
  • Examining the central themes and motifs present in the poem
  • Tracing the development of these themes throughout the poem and considering their broader implications
• Structural analysis
  • Analyzing the poem's form, rhyme scheme, and meter
  • Considering how the structure contributes to the poem's meaning and emotional impact
• Figurative language analysis
  • Identifying and interpreting the use of metaphors, similes, personification, and other literary devices
  • Examining how these devices enhance the poem's imagery, tone, and overall effectiveness

Notable Sonnets and Their Significance

• Sir Thomas Wyatt, "Whoso List to Hunt"
  • One of the earliest English sonnets, adapted from Petrarch
  • Allegorical poem about the pursuit of a deer (believed to represent Anne Boleyn), exploring themes of desire and frustration
• William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?")
  • One of the most famous sonnets in the English language
  • Celebrates the enduring beauty of the beloved, comparing them favorably to a summer day
  • Asserts the power of poetry to immortalize the subject
• William Shakespeare, Sonnet 130 ("My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun")
  • Subverts the conventions of the Petrarchan sonnet by presenting a more realistic portrayal of the beloved
  • Challenges the idealized descriptions of beauty common in love poetry
  • Emphasizes the speaker's genuine love for the subject, despite their imperfections
• Edmund Spenser, Sonnet 75 ("One day I wrote her name upon the strand")
  • Part of Spenser's sonnet sequence "Amoretti," which chronicles his courtship of Elizabeth Boyle
  • Explores the theme of immortalizing the beloved through poetry
  • Uses the image of writing his lover's name on the sand, only to have it washed away by the tide, as a metaphor for the transience of life and the enduring power of art
• Sir Philip Sidney, Sonnet 1 from "Astrophil and Stella" ("Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show")
  • The opening sonnet of Sidney's sequence, which explores the theme of unrequited love
  • Introduces the characters of Astrophil (the lover) and Stella (the beloved)
  • Reflects on the challenges of expressing sincere emotions through the conventions of love poetry