Rope Bridges

Your land of love consists mainly of rope bridges
criss-crossing the sky like a cat’s cradle, strung
between mountains, for each time you’ve moved on,
‘gotten over’ something, a rope bridge hangs
as testament, the last remaining thread of thought . . .

Caroline Bird

Since Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet to the English Court in the early 16th century, poets have been using this deceptively simple 14-line form to express their thoughts on love, mortality, politics and just about everything else. Adapted by Shakespeare to accommodate the challenges of rhyming in English, and used by a succession of poets from Milton to Frost, the sonnet is very much alive and well in the 21st century – in recent years two poets have received T.S. Eliot Prize nominations for collections comprised entirely of sonnets.

This two-part study considers the enduring appeal of the sonnet through the study of form, metre and voice. Sonnets written in the 1600s or in 2000s will be looked at in detail to help us understand how poets (including Caroline Bird, quoted above) have found expression for their ideas through fitting them into a tightly woven square of rhymed iambic pentameter. Throughout the course we will read these ‘little songs’ aloud and dig deeper into their meaning as we hear their music.

Salon Details:

Facilitated by: Caroline Hammond and Jane Wymark

Tuesday Evenings: 6–8.00pm

Two-meeting study: 27 April & 4 May 2021

Recommended Books: TBC

£50 for two meeting study includes background materials and opening notes

To register,  please use the PayPal button below to pay £50.  

Upon receipt of payment, you will be sent the opening notes, resources and preparation suggestions. If you have any questions about this study, please contact us.