Sonnet Tradition · English Literature

Sir Philip Sidney's 'Astrophil and Stella' is significant in the sonnet tradition for being the first:

  1. Sonnet sequence written in English
  2. Sonnet to be published in a broadsheet
  3. Sonnet to use iambic pentameter
  4. Sequence addressed to a male subject
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Correct answer: Sonnet sequence written in English

Published in 1591, 'Astrophil and Stella' was the first fully developed English sonnet sequence. It sparked the 'sonnet mania' of the 1590s, where almost every major poet attempted a cycle.

Difficulty: Medium Question 7 of 20

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