Poetic Form
Petrarchan Sonnet
Named after Francesco Petrarch (1304–74), whose Canzoniere established the form and its themes of idealized, unrequited love. Also called Italian sonnet.
Definition
A 14-line sonnet divided into an octave (ABBAABBA) proposing a situation, and a sestet (CDECDE or variant) resolving it.
Example
Sidney's Astrophil and Stella; Milton's sonnets on his blindness and on the Piedmontese massacre.