A reader sent me the link to this essay over at Powerline. Briefly,
The “Petrarchan” stereotype in criticism is that of a love poem, generally a sonnet, in which an idealizing male lover submits to his chaste mistress and is continually rebuffed by her, a rejection that only renews his anguished pleas.
"... an idealizing male lover ... continually rebuffed...by his mistress, a rejection that only renews his anguished pleas."
Coincidentally, I was re-reading parts of Nicholas Boyle's two-volume biography of Goethe. Goethe's woes sounded identical to those of Petrach. It is alleged that Goethe's Wilhem Meister led to an epidemic of 18th century European suicides. I was curious: was there a connection between Goethe and Petrarch.
Oh, boy, was there a connection. A google search revealed no less than 441,000 "hits." LOL.
Not only that, but even Goethe himself recognized his "petrarchian" condition, link here.
It turns out there's a whole "industry" of petrachian analysis and linkages, but they tend to be one-hundred percent literary.
For the enterprising college freshman who needs a thesis for some literary course, how about this: "From Wolfram and Petrach to Orbison and Isaak." LOL.College course credit while listening to some of the best music ever.
If "Pretty Woman" by Orbison is not the quintessential petrarchian ballad I don't know what is. Wow.
But if you want to go the whole Monty, take out your Forever Blue Chris Isaak CD for nine of the best petrachian ballads of all time. There are ten songs on the album but I don't care for the first song (I usually skip it) but the remaining nine are incredible and all petrarchian.
Here's the album. Skip the first song and listen closely to the last nine to see how Chris Isaak can sing abo ut nine unrequited loves. Nine out of nine. Leonard Cohen did one better with ten songs on one CD unapolagetically called Ten New Songs.
Perhaps the best, "Things Go Wrong."
I think Chris Isaak's middle name is "Petrarch."
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