Puttenham’s failed design

Abstract

Despite the popularity of Renaissance pattern poetry, this verse form was neglected in the English poetical tradition. I suggest that this lack of recognition may be explored by looking into its presentation as an oriental import, which chose to ignore its relationship with classical Greek models. The inspiration for George Puttenham’s shift of attribution from the West to the East in his Arte of English Poesie can be explained by the early modern fascination with travel writing and by Puttenham’s knowledge of the work of a fellow literary theorist, Richard Willes, and his novel poetical compositions.