Module description
Since the sixteenth century, many of the most prominent writers in English (as well as in other languages) have been drawn to the (usually) fourteen lines of rhymed iambic pentameter known as the sonnet. Easily memorized, convenient to copy out and send to a lover, rival or friend, the form has become a touchstone and a battle ground for poets. This module will look at how poets have used sonnets to express profound emotions and desires, such as Shakespeare’s contemporary Richard Barnfield who wrote passionately of a man’s love for another man, and of the cruel and murky realities of heterosexual love too. We will also look at the way the form came to be politically charged in the hands of John Milton and contemporary poets including Jackie Kay and Terrance Hayes. The module considers the ‘life’ of the form, from its origins in Sicilian and troubadour poetry and song, into the English sonnet boom of the 1500s, up to its most contemporary manifestations which stretch the formal definition to breaking point. The sonnet is a competitive genre and its easily identifiable form has always allowed poets to signal allusions and influence, often wrestling with their predecessors within the parameters of this little square of text.
Assessment details
Coursework
1 x 1,000 word critical essay (15%), 1 x 3,000 word essay (85%)
Educational aims & objectives
This module explores the history of the sonnet form, moving from its roots in early modern song and lyric to the experimentation of contemporary poets. Students will explore the resources of the form, investigating the different ways in which its aesthetic features and intricate structure are used and challenged. We will also study the ways in which it is developed for different subjects and agendas, from romantic love to religious doubt, political dissent, and exploration of landscape and culture. The module will develop and push further students' knowledge of lyric and early modern poetry from their first - and second - year modules, and will explore the connections of sonneteering to song and to competition and influence between poets. There will be the option of writing your own sonnet.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practicable skills appropriate to a Level 6 module and in particular will be able to:
- Analyse critically poems in the sonnet form from a range of periods.
- Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the political and religious, as well as aesthetic uses of the sonnet.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the major critical approaches that have been used to discuss these texts.
- Analyse a sonnet for its formal and linguistic features, using appropriate vocabulary, and harness such close readings to a broader critical argument.
- Compare and select different theoretical methods (to be demonstrated through forum posts and essay).
- Communicate reading and research effectively, verbally and in writing (seminar presentation, formative and unassessed).
- Develop and sustain an argument, drawing on appropriate resources (to be demonstrated through final essay).
Teaching pattern
One two hour seminar weekly
Suggested reading list
All poems (primary reading) will be available on Keats and all criticism (secondary reading) through KCL library.
If you wish to buy or read an anthology, I recommend The Art of the Sonnet edited by Stephen Burt and David Mikics (2011) or The Making of a Sonnet edited by Eavan Boland and Edward Hirsch (2007).