The "Bill Knott" Sonnet
1. Write a convoluted sonnet. Two four-lined stanzas (the octave). Followed by two three-lined stanzas (the sestet) [approximately 10 syllables per line]. A total of 14 lines. End-rhyiming is not important here as it would be with a traditional sonnet where the rhyme scheme should obey the following patterns.
2. Use all kinds of words (the stranger sounding, the better)—slang, jargon, technical, even new words made from preexisting words (neologisms). Try to juxtapose these words so that novel (even wild!) images are brought about as well as unusual sounding combinations. [One way to do this is to make a collection of words and start to play with them by moving around and trying combinations that are interesting or pleasing.]
3. Try to fashion some sort of narrative or structure that makes sense despite all the zaniness within (i. e. do not just put an assemblage of exotic-sounding words together without any controlling structure throughout the poem).
4. Employ as many internal rhymes and sonically clashing combinations as you find pleasing while still maintaining a fluid rhythm.
This assignment is worth 1 point.
Examples:
1. Self (The Poet Passé) Portrait—Bill Knott
2. The Unsubscriber—Bill Knott
4. Fragments From the Beach (Nonasyllabics)—Bill Knott
6. Personal Poem Processor—Bill Knott
8. (Desire)Threadbare(Desires)—Bill Knott