What I liked about the villanelles is that they were straightforward in meaning and style. By that I mean it was easy to follow along because the structure was very concise, and the repetition allowed me to understand the meaning continuously throughout the poem. Each villanelle was structured to have six stanzas, each having three lines while the last stanza had four. I found it more enjoyable to follow this structure and I could understand the pattern of the poem this way. Each time the last line of the first and second stanza was repeated, it put emphasis on the topic of the poem and tied it all together in the end. Overall I like the style of villanelles because unlike some other forms of poetry, this one is very organized and the meaning doesn’t get lost.
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I agree completely! The repetition and the brevity make for a direct style, almost confessional.
Another perspective that might challenge yours is that those poems which lack a cohesive structure and a full-circle idea do so deliberately. For example, the poems of Allen Ginsberg, which I’m researching, tend towards a stream of consciousness with the goal of the reader just experiencing the sounds and imagery line by line without concern for any overall cohesion. I think Ginsberg expects cohesion to come in the collected memory of all the emotions throughout a poem, such that his meaning can’t be lost if it was never created. Whether I prefer the villanelle or Ginsberg’s free verse, I haven’t decided. I think different styles will fit different ideas, i.e., form follows function.
Yes I agree with what you’re saying. Ginsberg’s poetry is definitely set a part from villanelles, with many differences. It’s a very different perspective to have the reader come to an understanding of the meaning of the poem through a stream of consciousness rather than just telling it straightforward. That is why I personally lean towards villanelles because of the structure and conciseness. I still admire other forms of poetry though, they all have a particular style that appeals to different people.
The repetition of the refrain and the two rhymes make for a simplistic feel to the poem, even though it’s structure is somewhat complicated. This makes the poem feel as if someone spoke it directly, or wrote it down all at once. In short, the villanelle seems to lend itself well to poems that feel natural, unforced, and heartfelt.