Sonnet

A sonnet is a formal poetic structure which first appeared at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in Palermo, Sicily.

13th century poet Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the invention of the form. The term sonnet derives from the Sicilian word sonetto (from Old Provençal sonet – "a little poem" – from son – "song" – from Latin sonus – "a sound"). By the thirteenth century it signified a poem of fourteen lines that follows a given rhyme scheme and specific structure.

Conventions associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history; writers of sonnets are sometimes called "sonneteers," and the study of sonnets is occasionally referred to as "sonnetology."

Variations

 * Petrarchan Sonnet
 * Shakespearean Sonnet
 * Spenserian Sonnet
 * Pushkin Sonnet
 * Philadelphian Sonnet

Forms

 * Sonnet Forms
 * Comparison Chart