In the three sonnets from the Amoretti by Spenser that you have read, what do you consider are the specifically Petrarchan elements? How does Spenser rework them, if at all? [MEG 101 SPENSER]

The Amoretti is a sequence of 89 sonnets written by Edmund Spenser, which tells the story of his courtship of Elizabeth Boyle. The sonnets are heavily influenced by the Petrarchan tradition, which Spenser reworks in a number of interesting and innovative ways.

The Petrarchan elements in the Amoretti can be seen in a number of ways. First, the sonnets are written in the Petrarchan form, with an octave and a sestet, and they often feature a turn, or volta, between the two sections. Second, the sonnets often use Petrarchan imagery and metaphors, such as the use of the blazon, or the detailed description of the beloved's physical features.

However, while Spenser's sonnets are clearly influenced by the Petrarchan tradition, he also reworks this tradition in a number of innovative ways. For example, in Sonnet 30, Spenser plays with Petrarchan conventions by using a blazon to describe his beloved's physical features, but then rejecting this approach and instead emphasizing the inner qualities of his beloved that cannot be captured in a blazon. This rejection of the Petrarchan blazon reflects Spenser's interest in exploring the inner workings of the human heart, and his desire to move beyond the superficial and external qualities of love.

In Sonnet 34, Spenser again plays with Petrarchan conventions, this time by using the idea of the beloved as a source of inspiration for his poetry. While Petrarch often saw his beloved as a source of divine inspiration, Spenser takes this idea and expands on it, suggesting that his beloved is not just a source of inspiration for his poetry, but is in fact the embodiment of poetic inspiration itself.

Overall, while Spenser's sonnets from the Amoretti are clearly influenced by the Petrarchan tradition, he also reworks and expands on this tradition in a number of innovative ways, reflecting his interest in exploring the inner workings of the human heart and his desire to move beyond the superficial and external qualities of love.