English 201

Introduction to Literary Analysis

O'Dea

Closed Form Poetry Project

The only way to understand the intricacies of the poetic texts you read is to try writing one
yourself. For this project, you will write three short poems in "closed form": a sonnet, a
villanelle, and a sestina. We have examined and discussed several examples of these forms in
class, so you're well-grounded in their structures and possibilities. This project will probably be a
stretch for some of you; look at it as an opportunity to enter into some of the poetic traditions
we'll be discussing this semester.

Sonnet
You may write either an Italian sonnet or an English sonnet.
Italian (or Petrarchan) Sonnet: a 14-line poem governed by iambic pentameter, consisting of an
octave (lines 1–8) rhyming abbaabba and a sestet (lines 9–14) rhyming variably (cdecde;
cdcdee; cdcede, etc.). In no case should the Italian sonnet contain more than 5 rhyming sounds
overall. The octave is subdivided into two quatrains; often, each quatrain forms a complete
sentence. The sestet is subdivided either into a quatrain and a couplet, or two tercets. The
octave usually sets out a situation, a set of conditions, or a proposition that is then addressed of
expanded in the sestet. A "turn" of some sort usually occurs at the beginning of the sestet.
English (or Shakespearean) Sonnet: a 14-line poem, consisting of 3 quatrains and a couplet,
usually in iambic pentameter and rhyming abab cdcd efef gg. The formal divisions of the
English sonnet are augmented by divisions of sense; each quatrain is governed by a particular
idea, image, or metaphor which is part of the larger theme of the poem. A "turn" usually occurs
at the beginning of the couplet, which makes a concluding statement for the poem.

Villanelle
A 19-line poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, using only two rhymes in the scheme
aba aba aba aba aba abaa, The most important feature of the villanelle is a set pattern of
repeated lines: line 1 is repeated in lines 6, 12 and 18, and line 3 is repeated in lines 9, 15 and
19. Lines 1 and 3 (the “root” or "thread" lines) are thus restated at the ends of alternating
tercets, and in a rhymed couplet at the poem’s end.

Sestina
A 39-line poem composed of six 6-line stanzas and a 3-line “envoy” (a short epigrammatic
stanza) at the end. The sestina is not rhymed conventionally, but instead uses 6 set key-words,
which occur in the following rotational patterns at the end of lines as follows.:
Stanza 1: 1-2-3-4-5-6
Stanza 2: 6-1-5-2-4-3
Stanza 3: 3-6-4-1-2-5
Stanza 4: 5-3-2-6-1-4
Stanza 5: 4-5-1-3-6-2
Stanza 6: 2-4-6-5-3-1
Envoy: 3 lines; three of the key-words occur at the end of lines; the other three in middle of
lines.
Word Bank
To keep us honest and the playing field even, your poems must include words from the list
below. Your sonnet and villanelle should include at least six of these words somewhere in the
text. Your sestina should use six of the words as the key-words. You may use homophonic
versions of the words; you may also use them as verbs, nouns, adjectives or other parts of
speech as appropriate.

Ache Here
Air Home
Back Just
Cold Know
Dance Light
Dark Love
Drive Music
Empty Piece
Eye Rain
Fall Shade
Fly Spring
Glass Tap
Green Trip
Hand Waste
Hate Wind

Evaluation
I don't necessarily expect you to produce poems of enduring grandeur and beauty with this
project. I'll evaluate your work based on my sense of your engagement with the three forms
(sonnet, villanelle, sestina)—that is, on how well you adhere to the "rules" and expectations of
each form.