Renaissance love poetry
Love poetry of the Renaissance (15th-17th centuries) characterised by formal sophistication, classical influence, wit, paradox, and psychological complexity. Renaissance love poetry adapts medieval traditions like Petrarchism while adding new emotional and intellectual dimensions.
Real World
Philip Sidney's sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella (1591) exemplifies Renaissance love poetry: it combines Petrarchan anguish with self-aware wit, questioning whether the poet-lover's suffering is genuine feeling or literary performance.
Exam Focus
Always contextualise Renaissance love poetry within its literary tradition (AO3) and analyse how wit and paradox create tone (AO2).
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