What is a sonnet?

Hstorical context: Sonnets (meaning 'little song') are love poems which have a very particular form that was popularised by Dante and Petrarch in Italy in the 1300s. The particular poetic form was brought over to England by men such as Thomas Wyatt in the early 1500s. Once imported, sonnets became really popular and almost every major writer for the next 100 years tried their hand at sonnet-writing, including Shakespeare, Spenser, Donne and Sidney. There actually aren't that many rules when it comes to sonnet writing. Only two big ones: 1) It must be 14 lines in length. 2) It must be written in iambic pentameter. Other than these rules, different sonneteers took different approaches and made up their own rules. There are two types of sonnet that are worth knowing about: 1. Petrarchan sonnet. Most closely resembles the sonnets used by the Italians. Divided into two sections: the first 8 lines [two quatrains] and the last 6 lines [one sextet]. At the 'volta' (the point between line 8 and 9) there is often a shift in tone or purpose. Rhyme scheme is ABBA, ABBA, [two quatrains], CDCDCD [one sextet]. (see Milton 'When I consider how my light is spent') 2. English/Shakespearean sonnet. Sonnet form popularised by Surrey and Wyatt; used famously by Shakespeare. Divided into two sections: the first 12 lines [three quatrains] and the last two lines [heroic couplet]. Rhyme scheme is ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG. (see sonnet 130 by Shakespeare for a fabulous example). Note that many sonneteers have played with the rhyme scheme to create their own interesting versions: as an extension have a look at the Spenserian stanza. The important distinction is that the Italian sonnet is two quatrains and a sextet, the English sonnet is three quatrains and a couplet. The sonnet tradition is a rich one which plenty of writers have since subverted -- as an extension activity have a look George Meredith's sonnets.