Petrarch is credited with the creation of the Italian form of the sonnet, perhaps the widest read and most beloved of poetic forms. No doubt, you’re probably familiar with the sonnet, at least of the Shakespearean version.

The sonnet is far from being a dead form. Many poets still use the form and have crafted a new formalism based on the old forms, sonnet included. The sonnet – particularly the Petrarchan sonnet – has a rich and varied history and has been used by some of the most prolific poets through the ages. A sampling of poets who have written in the Petrarchan sonnet form include:

• Edna St. Vincent Millay
• John Milton
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• William Wordsworth
• Charles Tennyson-Turner, brother of Alfred Lord Tennyson
• Sir Philip Sidney

Shakespeare himself, it is said, was influenced by the Petrarchan sonnet and it’s easy to see why. One read of any sonnet written by the above poets and you’ll love the form. I highly recommend the Petrarchan sonnet for studying forms, rhythm, rhyme, and meter. Once you master the basics of a form like the Petrarchan sonnet, your poetry will improve no matter what kind of poetry you continue to write.