The Crown of Sonnets is fascinating! I've done similar things in crochet, an art I feel as if I've "mastered", attempting to challenge myself when everything became boring and over done to me. The cyclical nature of the Crown, even in writing, absolutely appeals to the visual artist part of me. It does sound very time consuming but when you've entrenched yourself in it enough to need to challenge yourself more, you probably move faster? I don't know, I'm part sloth so everything is slow for me 😆😅
I love your videos! I have strayed away from watching them, recently; but you got me back with this video. You do such a good job making, enjoyable, subjects that are usually considered boring. I remember (kind of) studying sonnets in high school. Tough back then, interesting now. Thanks!
This is amazing! I had no idea about the deep history in sonnets. Only the Shakespearean sonnet. The crown of sonnets sounds like an in incredible challenge and how interesting that it will circle back on itself. I love your work and style. ❤
Im not a fan on iambic pentameter, so the only sonnets I've written have been, well, not worth repeating. Perhaps its a matter of insufficient practice, but forcing form always leaves me feeling like Ive had to sacrifice some of my message or content so I don't really spend much time working with such strict structure requirements in my poems. It never occured to me to try a sonnet in blank verse. The 15-sonnet crown idea is fascinating. I still dont know if I want to write 15 sonnets, but I might sit on that idea for awhile.
Practice is definitely part of it, but I can agree that my work usually falls a little flatter when I set out to write in form. I tend to find more success when a form emerges through revision. If I find my ideas naturally taking on a sonnet-y shape and then revise it into form, that often works better for me
W H Auden said somewhere that the constraint is to prevent you writing the first thing that comes into your head. Because you have to wrestle with it yet still make sense, allows novelty to arise.
@Simpaulme I'm not against constraints. I do see their value. I never keep the first thing I wrote down. I typically edit/revise/rewrite my poems a couple of times. I will often free write my thoughts on a subject or theme, then I'll write some preliminary verses, and then I start over completely with a new approach. I'll do this a few times, sometimes utilizing some of the bits I've already come up with. My process is largely based on my experience as a visual artist, and I think of my free writing as a "brainstorming" session and my first few stabs at verses as "sketches." That gives me some time and experimentation to allow novelty in that way. But I see the value of constraints because sometimes, when things are too open-ended, I still find myself struggling. Like if I wanted to write a poem about death or being sad about it. It's too broad. Throwing in some constraints on limiting the subject used to convey the theme and/or some constraints on the form could really help. I really just don't like iambic pentamenter specifically. I've played around with iambs, and I think it can make my word use, particularly in the sense of sound and rhythm, much stronger. The more I play with form, the more skills I get in using words, so not at all something I'm opposed to playing with. But when I try to write with 5 iambs specifically, it feels soooo awkward and archaic sounding to me. Perhaps I just need practice, but it's really not my favorite. What almost always end up being my favorite poems are the ones without form because I really love it when my word MEANINGS (and double meanings) fit perfectly rather than my syllables fitting perfectly.
i'd like to add another type of sonnet which i, personally, appriciate, which is the caudated sonnet. Its form is the same with petrarchian one, but present three more verses. The first of these is shorter: in italian, for instance, it's made up of seven syllables, whereas the others verses have usually eleven; and it rhymes with the fourteenth verse. Then the other two are rhymed together. So, the structure tipically is ABBAABBA CDCCDC (or something) cEE. This tail can have a tail on its own, like eFF fGG gHH and so on
Are there any books you might recommend for a more in-depth look at sonnets? I loved the video and am really enjoying learning more about poetry lately
Thanks! In terms of sonnets particularly, nothing really comes to mind, but I'm sure someone somewhere has written a book about sonnets. I remember reading (and liking) John Hollander's book Rhyme's Reason in college. Not specific to sonnets, but it covers a lot of formal poetry stuff
The Crown of Sonnets is fascinating! I've done similar things in crochet, an art I feel as if I've "mastered", attempting to challenge myself when everything became boring and over done to me. The cyclical nature of the Crown, even in writing, absolutely appeals to the visual artist part of me. It does sound very time consuming but when you've entrenched yourself in it enough to need to challenge yourself more, you probably move faster? I don't know, I'm part sloth so everything is slow for me 😆😅
I'm really into the crochet-poetry-visual art confluence! And, hey, no shame in being part sloth: poetry isn't a race 😉
I love your videos! I have strayed away from watching them, recently; but you got me back with this video. You do such a good job making, enjoyable, subjects that are usually considered boring. I remember (kind of) studying sonnets in high school. Tough back then, interesting now. Thanks!
Thanks--glad to have you back!
Great and informative video -- thank you, Sir! Cheers from Texas!
This is amazing! I had no idea about the deep history in sonnets. Only the Shakespearean sonnet. The crown of sonnets sounds like an in incredible challenge and how interesting that it will circle back on itself. I love your work and style. ❤
Thanks!
Im not a fan on iambic pentameter, so the only sonnets I've written have been, well, not worth repeating. Perhaps its a matter of insufficient practice, but forcing form always leaves me feeling like Ive had to sacrifice some of my message or content so I don't really spend much time working with such strict structure requirements in my poems. It never occured to me to try a sonnet in blank verse. The 15-sonnet crown idea is fascinating. I still dont know if I want to write 15 sonnets, but I might sit on that idea for awhile.
Practice is definitely part of it, but I can agree that my work usually falls a little flatter when I set out to write in form. I tend to find more success when a form emerges through revision. If I find my ideas naturally taking on a sonnet-y shape and then revise it into form, that often works better for me
W H Auden said somewhere that the constraint is to prevent you writing the first thing that comes into your head. Because you have to wrestle with it yet still make sense, allows novelty to arise.
@Simpaulme I'm not against constraints. I do see their value. I never keep the first thing I wrote down. I typically edit/revise/rewrite my poems a couple of times. I will often free write my thoughts on a subject or theme, then I'll write some preliminary verses, and then I start over completely with a new approach. I'll do this a few times, sometimes utilizing some of the bits I've already come up with.
My process is largely based on my experience as a visual artist, and I think of my free writing as a "brainstorming" session and my first few stabs at verses as "sketches." That gives me some time and experimentation to allow novelty in that way.
But I see the value of constraints because sometimes, when things are too open-ended, I still find myself struggling. Like if I wanted to write a poem about death or being sad about it. It's too broad. Throwing in some constraints on limiting the subject used to convey the theme and/or some constraints on the form could really help.
I really just don't like iambic pentamenter specifically. I've played around with iambs, and I think it can make my word use, particularly in the sense of sound and rhythm, much stronger. The more I play with form, the more skills I get in using words, so not at all something I'm opposed to playing with. But when I try to write with 5 iambs specifically, it feels soooo awkward and archaic sounding to me. Perhaps I just need practice, but it's really not my favorite.
What almost always end up being my favorite poems are the ones without form because I really love it when my word MEANINGS (and double meanings) fit perfectly rather than my syllables fitting perfectly.
i'd like to add another type of sonnet which i, personally, appriciate, which is the caudated sonnet. Its form is the same with petrarchian one, but present three more verses. The first of these is shorter: in italian, for instance, it's made up of seven syllables, whereas the others verses have usually eleven; and it rhymes with the fourteenth verse. Then the other two are rhymed together. So, the structure tipically is ABBAABBA CDCCDC (or something) cEE. This tail can have a tail on its own, like eFF fGG gHH and so on
Are there any books you might recommend for a more in-depth look at sonnets? I loved the video and am really enjoying learning more about poetry lately
Thanks! In terms of sonnets particularly, nothing really comes to mind, but I'm sure someone somewhere has written a book about sonnets. I remember reading (and liking) John Hollander's book Rhyme's Reason in college. Not specific to sonnets, but it covers a lot of formal poetry stuff
ABA CDE means nothing to me I have to hear it paired with and then it would make sense to my goldfish brain😉🤭
Am I losing my mind or is there some kind of creepy voice in the background throughout this video?
The one yammering on about sonnets? You'll get used to it...I have...