Although formal poetry was overshadowed by free verse for most of the 20th century, there’s been a revival of form in the last few decades. Formal poetry can be challenging for any poet. You’re given a set of rules, instead of creating them yourself. New formalists don’t always adhere to the strict rules of the past, though. A sonnet, for example, may not look exactly Shakespearean or Petrarchan. Still, it will have elements that make it a sonnet.
We’ve read and discussed a variety of forms. For your journal this week, please go to The Academy of American Poets website. Click on “forms” in the “poem index” menu. Choose one form, click on the “read more” button to learn about the form. Then, choose one example of a poem in that form to read.
When you’re finished, write a journal entry that discusses which forms most interest you? Do you like reading formal poetry or do you prefer free verse? Did researching a form make you see formal poetry differently? How? Why? What form might you try writing this semester? Feel free to expand on these questions!
Feel free to choose any form. I’d recommend choosing either one you’re not familiar with or one of the forms from either Wednesday’s or today’s class reading.