Because of this close connection, poets have also used the form to subvert readers' expectations about love.Ĭlaude McKay's, 'America' (1921) subverts the typical expectations of a sonnet as, instead of being about love, the poem centres around the topic of racism and violence in 1920s America. Since the 16th century, poets have developed the connection between sonnets and the concept of love, using the form to discuss love in its many different forms, including spiritual love, sexual love, and aesthetic love. The two poets created separate forms of the sonnet known as Shakespearean sonnets and Spenserian sonnets. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the sonnet was developed by various poets including William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser. The Italian sonnet was developed during the Renaissance called the Petrarchan sonnet after the Italian poet, Francesco Petrarca, who popularised the form. Sonnets have been used in poetry for centuries - the first recorded sonnet was written in Italy in the 12th century. While the sonnet does follow a strict form, typically consisting of 14 lines, there are many different types of sonnets that will be discussed in this article. The sonnet is a poem with a distinct form and meaning that has been popular in English literature for centuries.
