A Sonnet Poetry Books is a conglomeration of poems that was restructured in the thirteenth century as a fourteen line composition. It is laid out in particular rhythm and logical format. Originating from a Provençal word, Sonnets are found as:
- Italian sonnet – also known as Petrarchan (after the Italian poet Petrarch) was first form of the kind that was introduced by, Giacomo da Lentini.
- Spenserian sonnet - Named after Edmund Spenser, found in the usual layout of three quatrains and a couplet.
- English sonnet – Initiated by Thomas Wyatt, in the early sixteenth century, English sonnets revived during the French Revolution.
The term sonnet was derived form an Italian word called “sonetto”, imply “a little song”. Traditionally, Sonneteers, as fondly called to those who write sonnets, employ iambic
pentameter that consists of three quatrains and a couplet. There are 10 syllables per line in an “a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g” rhythm with a couplet of sharp thematic volta (signifying a differences in the tone, mood, or stance of the poem).
Thematic contents traditionally revolves around the poet's love for some woman, except for some like John Donne and George Herbert writing religious sonnets, and John Milton using the sonnet as a general meditative poem.
Some of the greatest Sonneteers of English literature of all times are William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Michael Drayton, L. G. Bryons, Shelley, Samuel Daniel, Fulke Greville, William Drummond of Hawthornden and William Wordsworth. Scott Ennis, Sara L. Russell and Lisa Prescott are among the modern authors of this genre of poetry.
