I was asked to research genre reference works for the poem Ozymandias. I am looking to better understand why the author choose to use the form that he did and how it affects the over all meaning of the poem. Here are two sources I looked at:
The Oxford Companion to English Literature
https://www-oxfordreference-com.erl.lib.byu.edu/view/10.1093/acref/9780192806871.001.0001/acref-9780192806871-e-7079?rskey=37bJnc&result=1
I found this resource through the BYU Library website, under a section called English Literatures Reference, after looking through a few of the different references they had listed there. It was fairly brief however it explained the two most prominent patterns in the genre of sonnets as well as a brief overview of poets and time periods where sonnets were used. It also showed how subject matter within sonnets changed in time. This article was useful in showing me how the contemporaries of Percy Bysshe Shelley were writing sonnets with subject matter focusing on "religious, political, and philosophical" themes making me reconsider just exactly what subject Shelley is addressing in Ozymandias. This source was pretty brief overview and I think there may be more in-depth sources that would be more valuable in understanding the genre.
Studying the Sonnet: An Introduction to the Importance of Form in Poetry
https://teachers.yale.edu/curriculum/viewer/initiative_05.01.11_u
This was a longer article from the Yale National Intiative focused on many different aspects of the sonnet, however I focused specifically on the section titled The Sonnet's Structure and Important Characteristics because I felt this section best helped me understand some of the constraints and formal challenges of using the form of a sonnet. This article helped me to understand that using a sonnet, one has to be very particular and concise with one's words. After researching this I feel that I would be more qualified to analyze the these features in regards to the meaning of the poem. This source was very useful in giving me a better feel for sonnets as a genre.
Focusing on genre reference works could help one to analyze the form and structure of Ozymandias as well as the subject matter of the poem. I think after this exercise I am much more curious as to why Shelley used a sonnet to depict this scene that has elements that could have been highlighted in a different mode of poetry. Basically, the question I'm now really pondering about is why write a sonnet about the king of kings Ozymandias?
I haven't put much thought into writing sonnets since probably middle school, but I feel that I would often overlook how concise and precise you would have to be to make it all come together. It shows that Shelley must have put a lot of thought and effort into his poem, and that he was very purposeful because every word mattered!
ReplyDeleteI also was assigned this topic and found the resources you gathered to be super helpful!
ReplyDeleteI think that your musings on why Shelley chose to use a sonnet to write about the king of kings Ozymandias could reveal some very interesting insights into the poem. There is definitely the religious, political, and philosophical layer to "Ozymandias," which may reflect some of why Shelley chose to write this in sonnet form. Yet, I also think that our class discussion about how the sonnet, like Ozymandias, was outdated at the time of writing could lead to some very productive discussion.
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding how a sonnet is written and why it should be that way really helps the reader understand a poem better. Ozymandias, is a sonnet, but by understanding what a sonnet is, we learn that it is not 100% a sonnet. If one didn't know what a sonnet was, it would be hard to understand the creative liberties that Shelley took while writing this poem.
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