Which poet first popularized the sonnet form?

• A. Edmund Spenser
• B. Francesco Petrarch
• C. William Shakespeare
• D. John Milton

Answer: (A)

Think of how a poetic form travels from one culture to another and gains a life of its own. The sonnet began in Italy with Petrarch, who refined and popularized the form there, creating a model that poets across Europe would imitate. When English poets started using the form, Edmund Spenser played a pivotal role in bringing it into wide English practice and shaping its early English version. He did this especially through works like Amoretti, where the sonnet sequence showcased a distinct English approach—the Spenserian form with its linked rhyme and flowing development—helping the form become a staple of English poetry. This widespread adoption in English literature set the stage for later generations, including Shakespeare, to carry the sonnet forward, but Spenser’s influence was the key early driver in popularizing the form within English verse.