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This week: Ottava Rima: A Brief History and How-To Edited by: Red Writing Hood <3  
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"Every poem can be considered in two ways--as what the poet has to say, and as a thing which he makes..."
C. S. Lewis
"Poetry comes nearer to vital truth than history."
Plato (428 BC-348 BC)
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Ottava Rima: A Brief History and How-To
The ottava rima can be a poetic or a stanza form. This means that it is a type of stanza that can also be considered a form of its own, as well. Rima means rhyme, and ottava can mean eighth or eight. So the form translates "roughly [to] 'rhyme in eights'" (Padgett 124).
BRIEF HISTORY
This poetry form has Italian roots and is about seven centuries old. It started out lofty; praising things. Then it turned to mocking the very things it originally praised. "In the early sixteenth century, Ludovico Ariosto used the ottava rima in his epic poem Orlando Furioso (Frenzied Roland), a wonderfully long and rich work that mixes the comic and the serious, story and commentary, history and fantasies that include flying horses, knights, maidens, and a trip to the moon " (Padgett 124).
MUST HAVES
--Stanzas are eight lines long (and you can have one or more stanzas).
--Rhyme scheme is: ABABABCC (when adding more stanzas the rhyme scheme is progressive. Example: abababcc, dededeff, ghghghii, and so on.)
--Syllabic scheme is either: 11 syllables (Italian), or 10 syllables (mostly iambic pentameter-English version).
COULD HAVES or WHAT IS THE POET'S CHOICE IN ALL THIS?
-- Since its topic has ranged from the lofty to mocking, I'd say topic is totally up to you. "The work of the great masters of the stanza-Ariosto, Byron, and Yeats-suggests that [the ottava rima] is most suited to work of a varied nature blending serious, comic and satiric attitudes and mingling narrative and discursive modes" (New Princeton 872).
--Length can be long or short, although it "is associated with long poems because its most famous examples have been long" (Padgett 124). Just remember if it is more than one stanza, traditionally you should follow the progressive rhyme scheme shown above.
SOURCE NOTES:
Padgett, Ron. The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms. 2nd. NY: T & W Books, 2000.
The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Edited by Ales Preminger and T. V. F. Brogan. 1993.
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Comments on last month's newsletter:
By: monty31802
Comment: I really like this, A Newsletter that I hope is read by many before reviewing.. Great write.
By: Stephens burnt toast 
Comment: Thank you for choosing my poem for the newsletter, much appreciated.
By: rjsimonson 
Comment: I have a question, that is -- Can you explain - rhyming scheme's and some rules for true rhyming. I love to write poetry however I have never written poetry that uses scheme's or rhyming because I am confused when these are mentioned. I guess I missed that class in English literature. Or you can just point me to a book or item on WDC that have these things explained. Thank you so much in advance!!!!!!
You can learn more about rhyme (and other tools to use in poetry) at: "A Poet's Tool Box" It includes past newsletters and articles by members of this site, as well as some off-site references. What I did is learn about the different types of rhymes and and I practiced, practiced, practiced. :) Thank you all for the great feedback. Keep it coming!!!
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Poetry: June 20, 2012 Issue [#5113]
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