American Literature / Unit 1 AML 0019 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Volta, and Why the Turn Is the Question
Captions available
The idea
The volta is the sonnet's turn, where the argument shifts from problem to answer, or claim to qualification. In the Italian sonnet it falls between octave and sestet. In the English it usually waits for the closing couplet. Exam questions tend to sit on the turn.
In practice
Line nine, or the final two.
Where people slip
Find the turn and the question answers itself.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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