JB's+UFG+Proposal


 * Unfamiliar Genre Project Proposal - Writing a Sonnet**

I have always admired how a sonnet manages to convey so much meaning in so few words using enviable focused, finessed language. It is appealing to me that this genre allows the author to express personal feelings directly to or about someone else--like a love letter except less direct and more cryptic. I have plenty of experience writing, but for the most part, my exercises have all been for a //practical// purpose, such as informing, persuading, or exploring written in a variety of genres (e.g. resumes, memorandums, incident reports, essays, proposals, reference manuals, instructional presentations). What these writing experiences have taught me is how to write objectively, to analyze and contextualize every word so that I can generally relay factual or evidential accounts. I've become proficient in this style, which is the reason I'm challenging myself to do something creative; I want to try something different. I hope to walk away from this experience being able to //show// my muse how I feel rather than simply informing or describing thoughts. After 41 years on the planet, I know my writing style, and writing sonnets isn't it! This is about one of the most uncomfortable genres I could think of writing. I hope I am not setting myself up for failure.

From my limited exposure, I understand that there are at least two ways to write a sonnet: Shakespearean (which I am reasonably sure is the most prominent) and another one that escapes me at the moment. I believe the form was popularized in the Elizabethan era (mid-to-late 16h century) and that it is written in iambic pentameter (although that may be exclusive to the Shakespearean method) or some other specific meter. The other part of the poetic formula calls for a rhyming pattern (that has to consist of alliteration and specific stress of meter). Sonnets, to my mind, are sharpened love letters that take advantage of generous amounts of imagery and often-complex metaphors. I admit that I am limited in my knowledge, so I look forward to learning more about them--even if I come up short on the execution. Shouldn't every English teacher know //something// //(more)// about sonnets?