Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Villanelles from the Wordsmith's Forge

I found this thoughtful essay about the villanelle, which is one of my favorite forms.

To write a good villanelle, you need two strong lines with the same rhyme and meter.  Those are your A lines that become the refrains.  Another line goes between them, and that sets your second rhyme, the b line.  It can have a different rhythm, if you want to create tension or variety; or use the same rhythm as the A lines for tighter cohesion.  I like this form for its balance between repetition and variation.  It's a good match for weighty topics, for things that make you circle around the same idea or two competing ideas.

So here's a look at some villanelles I have posted online:
"The Bonecage"
"Fiorenza and the Sea" (Fiorenza the Wisewoman"
"This Curséd Gift"
"The Treasures of Marco Polo" (The Silk Road Allies)
"What Evil Must Be Done"
Tags: poetry, reading
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  • 2 comments
starcat_jewel

starcat_jewel

October 30 2012, 00:02:10 UTC 8 years ago

These are all very good. I've written a couple of villanelles, and they're the hardest form I've ever tried to work with. (I have not the intestinal fortitude to attempt a sestina!) And I've seen some awful examples as well...
ysabetwordsmith

Thoughts

ysabetwordsmith

October 30 2012, 06:33:29 UTC 8 years ago

>>These are all very good.<<

Thank you!

>> I've written a couple of villanelles, and they're the hardest form I've ever tried to work with. <<

Ironically, for me they're easy. Most interlocking forms are. I find that if I get the right anchor lines, the rest almost writes itself. But I know that most people find it really hard.

>> (I have not the intestinal fortitude to attempt a sestina!) <<

That's another of my favorite forms. For a sestina, you need a good set of anchor words. I like to pick five that are easy to use (lead, see, go, etc.) and then one that really stands out (antipathy, velveteen, etc.) which is usually connected to the theme of that poem.

>> And I've seen some awful examples as well... <<

Well, it's an easy form to wreck with too much repetition or with awkward transitions.