ABSTRACT
The villanelle is a restrictive form thriving on accumulated rhymes and repetition. As such, it has tended to be used to cover lighter topics or simply to show off a poet’s technical ability. This chapter argues that in the mid-twentieth century, exactly those characteristics that make the villanelle a doubtful choice for serious reflective or confessional poetry are turned by a handful of poets into a tool to discuss serious topics such as death and grief, madness, and the unalterable march of time. The chapter explains how this moment is brought about, and how the apparent disconnect between form and content is overcome by poets such as Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath.
