Large segments of the contemporary poetic world have rejected the sonnet as an arcane relic of a formally and intellectually constricted past Among those who continue to practice or support the writing of sonnets, many have rejected the “love sonnet” as an over-worked and worn-out cliché As a consequence, Mr Keillor’s 77 Love Sonnets must be seen as a bold reaction, at least in principle, to the entrenchment of anti-traditional assumptions within the poetic mainstream.

Despite the daring of the volume’s title, Mr Keillor’s “sonnets” do little to assert the intellectual, emotional, or aesthetic potential of the traditional sonnet form Like most contemporary sonneteers, Mr Keillor adheres only loosely to the formal strictures of his genre His poems all contain 14 lines, and most adopt a Shakespearean-style rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg Yet his poems show little concern for meter, and many appear to the reader musically awkward and rhythmically out-of-time

Poetic forms should not be regarded as unalterable revelation The sonnet, as an example, has undergone extensive innovation and evolution throughout the course of its history The sonnets of Petrarch differ in rhyme, meter, and subject from those of Shakespeare, and similarly, the sonnets of Shakespeare differ in rhyme and subject from those of Milton Yet in each of these cases, the sonnet remained a form that proved both intellectually potent and musically enchanting.

It would be pedantic to argue that a sonnet must adhere to a specific scheme of rhyme or meter The character of the sonnet has changed over time, and should remain free to continue its evolution Nevertheless, rhyme and meter of some sort have always distinguished the sonnet from the discrete genres of blank-verse and free-verse As such, it is difficult to imagine how a poem that lacks either meter or rhyme can justify itself as a successor in the historical tradition of sonnets.

The poems presented to us by Keillor are sonnet-like, though they are not sonnets To advocates of poetic formalism (or to those who believe that traditional poetic forms, when properly executed, still possess consequence in contemporary society), Keillor’s laxity with the sonnet tradition may appear either slothful or duplicitous Yet many of his poems are poignant and provocative “Manhattan,” for example, captures a sense of estrangement, desperation and dependence begotten by the anonymity of contemporary urban existence The poem is both narrative and introspective—the elements of its story assume a subtle symbolic value that underscores the earnestness with which the poet speaks.

Similarly, the work “Speak to Me” depicts with searing sincerity the poet’s resolution to escape the “duel of silences” that has paralyzed his marriage with stagnation and resentment Though he understands that speech may reveal his love to be unreciprocated, the speaker begs his beloved to speak, so he need not “die for love” by settling himself within an insubstantial fantasy.

Many of the works within 77 Love Sonnets adopt a heavily humorous tone, though these poems often lack the thoughtfulness or substance exhibited by their more serious counterparts.  Some works, such as “Columbus, Georgia” or “Baltimore” appear more like an exercise in rhyme than a meditated poem.  These works would escape the reader easily if they did not stand so forcefully in contrast with Keillor’s stronger works Other pieces, such as “Room 704” and “Boom” strike the reader as shockingly (and unnecessarily) crass Lines such as “Her lover’s head between her legs” or “Good sir, don’t stop We each must do our duty/Some drive the bus and others drive the beauty” serve no positive intellectual purpose Though they may reenact erotic desires or solicit the attention of a more vulgarly-inclined audience, such poems fail to convey ideas of gravity that speak with any profundity or lasting consequence.

Keillor divides 77 Love Sonnets into seven discrete sections Although each section appears to possess subtle thematic similarities, the fifth presents an evident sonnet sequence It contains 12 poems, each dedicated to a month of the year These “month” poems do not share a particularly compelling narrative or dramatic thread, and they do not stand out among Keillor’s strongest work Nonetheless, these poems recall the ability of a sonnet cycle to construct meta-narrative out of symmetric but discrete stories Such an endeavor appears far more fascinating to the contemporary mind than any attempt to “liberate” the sonnet from its traditional formal constraints.

All in all, Kiellor’s book proves of interest to both formalists and non-formalists alike The future of poetic form remains a pressing question as we continue to debate the meaning of poetry and its relevance to contemporary life Whether traditional forms will reassert themselves, evolve, or be discarded entirely remains unclear 77 Love Sonnets provides no answer to this question, though it recalls us to the fragility and uncertainty that define contemporary poetics.