Thanks for the Mortensen reference, Candice: I've only read the introductory
matter so far, but he seems to have a relaxed and intelligent approach. I do
find it odd, though, that he speaks of the "Arabic" derivation of the sonnet
form ~ as far as I know, da Lentino had no predecessors ~ and of the
villanelle as if it had only recently been taken up again by poets like
Bruce Bennett (who he?) after a long period of neglect, whereas British
verse has known several remarkable examples since Dowson et al.
Martin
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