What is the structural characteristic of a Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. An octave rhyming ABBAABBA followed by a sestet rhyming CDECDE or CDCDCD
- Step 1: The Petrarchan sonnet divides into an octave presenting a problem and a sestet resolving it. Step 2. The transition between octave and sestet is the 'volta' (turn), reflecting a sharp philosophical shift. Answer: An octave rhyming ABBAABBA followed by a sestet rhyming CDECDE or CDCDCD. Why not the others: The three-quatrain and couplet structure describes the Shakespearean (English) sonnet.
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