Villanelles

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The Villanelle is another classic form that finds its roots in France. The form is one of the most recognized but least practiced due to the constriction of balancing twin refrains. The concept of a "good" one seems to be split into 2 camps: 1) It balance the refrains effortlessly while subtly blending them into the lyric making the repetition almost unnoticeable. 2) It accents the refrain in order to build strength through the repetition. Most modern usage tends to favor the first, even altering punctuation or even wording in order to make the repetition less overbearing though, strictly, the wording should not be altered. Due to the twin refrains, the form strongly resists the narrative but lends nicely to the lyric.

 

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