Poetry in Form: The Villanelle

#NaPoWriMo Poetry Prompts

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The word “villanelle” is from the French, although the form itself probably originated in Renaissance Italy. Originally, it was not a very structured form, but the villanelle we know today plays by a long list of rules.

Poets are so often rule-breakers. Why would they be drawn to the limits imposed by form? Can free spirits abide having…