Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a lot of galumphing for topic and a lot of free verse for structure, so we’re upping the ante this week!

Structure: Spenserian Sonnet

Theme: nostalgia

The Spenserian sonnet was invented by sixteenth-century English poet Edmund Spenser. The Spenserian sonnet uses the same structure as the Shakespearean sonnet, three quatrains and a couplet. However, instead of using alternating couplet rhymes for each quatrain, the Spenserian sonnet links each quatrain with the next by interweaving the couplet rhyme scheme, as such: abab bcbc cdcd ee.

As for the theme, Don Draper explains it best when he defines nostalgia from the Greek term, meaning “the pain from an old wound.” If you haven’t seen the famous full clip from season 1 of Mad Men, I highly recommend watching it. That scene exemplifies the brilliance of both Jon Hamm as an actor and the writers of the show.

Please share your memories with us, painful or otherwise. Submissions can be sent to redstringpapercuts@gmail.com.

References:

Poets.org – Forms – Sonnet — a truly essential website for any writer trying to learn and practice poetry

Stevie D