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Recanting sonnet

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A sonnet that revises, retracts, or critically reconsiders its initial argument or emotional stance, often in the volta or final lines.

Detailed Definition
A sonnet that retracts, withdraws, or reverses an earlier position stated in the same poem or in previous works. Also called a palinode in classical tradition, this form uses the fourteen-line structure to emphasize the seriousness and formality of retraction. The architectural completeness of sonnet form reinforces the definitiveness of recantation, whether expressing genuine change of heart or employing reversal as rhetorical strategy for emphasis.
Example
Example in poetry:
Recanting sonnet retracts or questions its own assertions: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 ends firmly, but Sonnet 20 recants gender assumptions; John Donne’s Holy Sonnets waver between faith and doubt; Contemporary example: “I said I’d never love again— / (But here I am, writing your name)”; Such sonnets use volta to pivot from claim to retraction; They embody cognitive dissonance; Often employ parentheses or dashes for self-interruption.
Additional Notes
Sonnet that retracts or withdraws earlier position. May recant love declaration or poetic stance. The formal structure of sonnet emphasizes deliberateness of retraction.
Also Known As
Retraction sonnet Palinode sonnet Reversal fourteen-liner Withdrawal poem Epanorthotic sonnet
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