---
title: "Petrarchan Sonnet in American Lit"
description: "Petrarchan sonnet is a 14-line Italian form with an octave and sestet, often used in American Literature since 1860 to shape argument and turn."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/american-literature-since-1860/key-terms/petrarchan-sonnet"
type: "key-term"
subject: "American Literature – 1860 to Present"
unit: "Unit 6"
---

# Petrarchan Sonnet in American Lit

## Definition

A Petrarchan sonnet is a 14-line poem with an octave and sestet, usually rhymed ABBAABBA in the first eight lines. In American Literature since 1860, writers use it to stage a problem, then pivot to a response.

## What It Is

A Petrarchan sonnet is a 14-line poem in American Literature since 1860 that keeps the Italian structure of an octave and a sestet. The octave usually follows ABBAABBA, and the sestet often shifts into a looser pattern such as CDCDCD or CDECDE.

What makes the form stand out is the turn, or volta, between those two sections. The first eight lines usually set up a situation, tension, image, or emotional conflict. The last six lines then answer it, rethink it, or complicate it. That split gives the poem a built-in argument, which is why the form works so well for ideas that need a setup and a response.

In this course, you usually see the Petrarchan sonnet as part of American poets working with inherited European forms. They are not just copying a traditional shape. They are adapting it to new subjects like national identity, social change, race, gender, grief, and love in a modern American setting. The form can feel formal and controlled, but that control often makes the emotional shift sharper.

The form also matters because the sonnet tradition itself is one of the places where American poetry shows both influence and independence. A poet may keep the octave and sestet, but use the turn to make a distinctly American claim or criticism. That can be a political move, not just a stylistic one.

You can spot a Petrarchan sonnet by checking two things: the 14-line structure and the clear division in thought. If the poem feels like it changes direction around line 9, that is usually the biggest clue. The content may look personal on the surface, but the structure often reveals an argument underneath.

## Why It Matters

This term matters because American writers since 1860 often borrow older forms on purpose, and the Petrarchan sonnet shows how form shapes meaning. When a poem moves from octave to sestet, you are not just seeing line breaks. You are seeing a shift in logic, emotion, or perspective, which can change how you interpret the speaker.

In essays and class discussion, the form gives you a precise way to talk about craft. Instead of saying a poem is "about love" or "sad," you can explain how the octave builds pressure and how the sestet changes the speaker's stance. That is a stronger literary analysis move.

It also helps you compare poets across periods. For example, a 19th-century or early 20th-century poet may use the Petrarchan pattern to show restraint, longing, or inner conflict, while a later poet might use the same shape to push against tradition. In American literature, that tension between inherited form and fresh subject matter comes up a lot.

If you are reading poems by writers like Edna St. Vincent Millay, Claude McKay, or Emma Lazarus, sonnet form often becomes part of the meaning itself. The question is not only what the poem says, but why this tight, turn-based structure fits the poem's idea better than a looser form would.

## Connections

### Sonnet

A Petrarchan sonnet is one type of sonnet, so this is the bigger category. When you identify a sonnet in this course, you still need to figure out whether it is Italian/Petrarchan or Shakespearean/English. That choice changes how you read the poem's structure, especially where the shift in thought happens.

### Sestet

The sestet is the six-line second half of a Petrarchan sonnet. In interpretation, this is usually where the poem turns from setup to response. If the octave raises a question or conflict, the sestet often reframes it, softens it, or gives it a new emotional angle.

### [Iambic Pentameter](/american-literature-since-1860/key-terms/iambic-pentameter)

Many sonnets in American literature use iambic pentameter as their line rhythm, even when the poem is doing something modern with tone or theme. If you can hear the five-beat pattern, it helps you see how the poem balances strict meter with emotional movement. It is often part of what gives the sonnet its formal control.

### [Edna St. Vincent Millay](/american-literature-since-1860/key-terms/edna-st-vincent-millay)

Millay is one of the American poets who uses sonnet form with confidence and flexibility. Looking at her work helps you see how a Petrarchan structure can carry modern themes like desire, independence, or disappointment. She is a useful example of how a traditional form can still sound fresh and personal.

## On the AP Exam

A quiz or passage-analysis question may ask you to identify the poem as Petrarchan by spotting the 14 lines, the octave-sestet split, and the turn around line 9. In a short response or essay, you might explain how that shift changes the poem's meaning, not just its shape. If a poem begins with tension and ends with reflection, answer with the structure and the effect together. When you compare poems, use the term to show how one writer follows the Italian sonnet pattern while another bends it for a different emotional or argumentative purpose. That kind of structural reading is exactly what earns credit in literary analysis.

## Petrarchan Sonnet vs Shakespearean Sonnet

These two sonnet forms are easy to mix up because both have 14 lines. The Petrarchan sonnet usually splits into an octave and sestet with a strong turn between them, while the Shakespearean sonnet uses three quatrains and a closing couplet. If the poem feels like it changes direction at line 9, it is usually Petrarchan.

## Key Takeaways

- A Petrarchan sonnet is a 14-line poem with an octave and a sestet, usually following ABBAABBA in the first eight lines.
- The turn, or volta, is the main feature to watch for, because it often shifts the poem from problem to response.
- In American Literature since 1860, poets use the form to work with modern themes while borrowing an older European structure.
- The form is useful for close reading because the structure often reveals how the poem thinks, not just what it feels.
- If a sonnet does not end with a couplet and instead turns sharply around line 9, it may be Petrarchan rather than Shakespearean.

## FAQs

### What is a Petrarchan sonnet in American Literature since 1860?

It is a 14-line sonnet form with an octave and a sestet, usually with a major shift in thought after the first eight lines. In American literature, poets use it to build an argument, emotional tension, or reflection inside a very controlled structure.

### How do you identify a Petrarchan sonnet?

Look for 14 lines, an octave-sestet division, and a turn near line 9. The octave is often more tightly rhymed than the sestet, which can feel more flexible. That structural break is the biggest clue.

### What is the difference between a Petrarchan sonnet and a Shakespearean sonnet?

A Petrarchan sonnet is organized as an octave plus a sestet, while a Shakespearean sonnet uses three quatrains and a final couplet. The Shakespearean version often saves its biggest twist for the ending, but the Petrarchan form usually turns earlier, around line 9.

### Why would an American poet use a Petrarchan sonnet?

The form gives the poet a built-in way to show change in thought. That works well for poems about love, identity, longing, or conflict because the structure itself can mirror the speaker's shift in perspective.

## Related Study Guides

- [6.2 Sonnets](/american-literature-since-1860/unit-6/sonnets/study-guide/Zq543EUihA0Or03y)

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