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   ms-mcgregor Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

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   Thomas Wyatt was a courtier for Henry VIII of England. He did much traveling and became acquainted with the Italian poet Petrarch. Petrarch is known for developing the Italian sonnet. When Wyatt returned to England, he began to adapt some of Petrrach's poetry into English. Thus, he became the first Englishman to write a sonnet. He never published his poems, so many of them have been lost or were modified by subsequent publishers. His most famous poem, "Whoso List to Hunt", is believed to be a veiled love poem about Anne Boleyn, the woman for whom Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church in order to marry. Since she was involved with Henry VIII, the poem is an admonition to stay away from her because she already has come to the attention of the king. Besides sonnets, Wyatt also wrote many lyrics to English dance songs but none of his work was published until 15 years after his death.

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   Posted by ms-mcgregor on Thursday October 9, 2008 at 11:28 AM