Sonnets

Shakespeare, Petrarch, Spenser are the names that spring readily to mind but the Russian poet, Pushkin devised a form of his own manufacture and used it to write a novel! There are plenty of different styles that we will be looking at. Assignments will involve writing sonnets in styles introduced in the class sessions

Starting on a date mutually convenient during week beginning 4th January we will meet on Zoom twice a week at times and days mutually convenient. Sessions will be recorded on the cloud so anyone unable to attend can access the meeting at a later date.

week 1 - introduction to the principal sonnet styles: Shakespeare & Spenser
week 2 - introduction to the principal sonnet styles: Petrarch & Milton
week 3 - Pushkin sonnet/Onegin Stanza - other styles requested.
week 4 - Other styles requested.
week 5 - one final question


Instructor: James Bartlett

About The Instructor: Jim Bartlett is an ex-Royal Marine Officer, and retired teacher, with a good honours degree in Education, and English and Drama, from London University. He has been a member of a local poetry group in South Wales where he currently lives alone in a redundant farm house.

Jim started writing while serving with 45 Commando, Royal Marines in Aden in the mid 1960s. At that time he was writing mainly song lyrics but later moved on to poetry after studying it on his degree course, which he undertook as a mature student between 1972 and 1976.

He has been published in poetry magazines and newspapers from time to time. In 2005 he produced a CD of self-penned songs under the title of "Tomorrow Never Comes", and published a poetry collection of thirty-six poems in 2012 entitled, "Triple Dozen" prior to joining FanStory in March 2015. His songs and poems have won several competitions.

Jim has also lectured on English Folk Lore and Song for the WEA in SE London in the late 1970s. He was urged to enrol as an instructor on FanStory by many who found his reviews of their poetry particularly helpful.