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Difficulty: HardLiterary Genres and Forms

A fourteen-line poetic form composed in iambic pentameter is divided into an eight-line stanza with an abba abbaabba\ abba rhyme scheme presenting a proposition, followed by a six-line stanza with a cde cdecde\ cde rhyme scheme offering a resolution. Which literary form is defined by this structural and thematic organization?

  1. Petrarchan sonnetAnswer
  2. B
    Shakespearean sonnet
  3. C
    Spenserian sonnet
  4. D
    Dramatic monologue

Answer

Petrarchan sonnet
The correct answer is the Petrarchan sonnet because it is explicitly defined by a fourteen-line structure divided into an octave rhyming abba abbaabba\ abba and a sestet rhyming cde cdecde\ cde. The octave presents an argument or thematic tension, which is then answered or resolved in the sestet following the volta.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the line count and stanza division described in the stem.
The poem has 14 lines divided into an 8-line section (octave) and a 6-line section (sestet).
Identifying line count and stanzaic organization narrows the genre to specific sonnet variants.
2
Examine the specific rhyme scheme and thematic progression (abba abbaabba\ abba followed by cde cdecde\ cde).
The rhyme scheme abba abba cde cdeabba\ abba\ cde\ cde combined with a problem-to-resolution shift (volta) is unique to the Petrarchan tradition.
English (Shakespearean) sonnets utilize three quatrains and a final couplet (abab cdcd efef ggabab\ cdcd\ efef\ gg), whereas Italian (Petrarchan) sonnets strictly use the octave-sestet framework.

Key Concept

Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet Conventions
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Literary Genres and Forms

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