Abstract
The history of canonical love poetry is inaccurate without the inclusion of minoritized groups. The relevance of the sonnet’s incomplete history and its lingering impact on contemporary poetry are not examined enough within academia. The sonnet is taught through white-, straight-, and cisgender-centered lenses, contributing to the erasure of historically relevant sonneteers who do not align with these identities. This thesis celebrates the diverse history of sonneteering, while drawing attention to the remaining narrow-mindedness within the poetic community. This thesis dismantles traditional elements of the sonnet through varying form, subject matter, and stylistic choices.
When viewed in the physical form, these works push for inclusivity by appealing to a multitude of sensory factors. Whether the reader relates to the poems’ contents themselves is irrelevant — these sonnets are made to be enjoyed by any person, whether it be through the oral feeling of the language, the abstract physical manipulation, the content, the formatting on the page, the rhythm, or any other factor.
By considering the intersections that allow readers to appreciate content, this thesis reframes how audiences are meant to enjoy poetry. The hyper-fixation within traditional sonnets on strict rhyme patterns and formatting choices, as well as the expectation for the reader to completely understand and relate to the emotional content, is inherently limiting to the art of writing. Poetry can, and should, be enjoyed on an individualized basis without harsh restrictions on the “proper” way to read the works. Through content and form-based reformation, the sonnet can prevail as a genre open to change and relevant to modern and historical minoritized communities.
Thesis Completion
2022
Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair/Advisor
Hurt, Rochelle
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Arts and Humanities
Department
English
Degree Program
Creative Writing
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Release Date
5-1-2022
Recommended Citation
Devine, Aloysius, "Authoring Inclusion: The Sonnet's Shifting Form" (2022). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 1224.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/1224