Although notorious for its strict formal requirements, the sonnet is nevertheless represented by such wide-ranging examples as Maggie Anderson’s “Sonnet for Her Labor” and Tyehimba Jess’s “Millie and Christine McCoy”-poems that differ remarkably in subject, rhythm, and structure. It may seem counterintuitive that the sonnet-ostensibly rigid and timeworn-could accommodate such variety, but poet Carl Phillips contends that the form invites experimentation: when a genre’s conventions are as recognizable as those of the sonnet, the opportunity to subvert them is especially irresistible.
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mediumWhich choice best states the main idea of the text?
A
Although Anderson’s and Jess’s sonnets are both widely celebrated for their striking originality, most modern examples of the form are generally regarded as conventional.
B
As a form, the sonnet encourages a surprising amount of variety, even though certain characteristics associated with it suggest this would be unlikely.
C
That the sonnet remains as popular as it is today is unexpected, given that many of the features associated with the form have long since seemed antiquated to readers.
D
Although the sonnet is now recognized for the way it facilitates experimentation, there was a long period in its history in which very little innovation occurred.