A villanelle is

A. a narrative poem written in blank verse.

B. a type of complex sonnet.

C. a formal poem using extensive repetition.

D. a favorite technique of John Donne.

A villanelle is a formal poem using extensive repetition (C). It is highly structured and is a nineteen-line poem made up of two repeating rhymes and two refrains. Even though a villanelle now has a rigid structure, it did not start off as a formal poem with it strict structure. The villanelle originated in the Renaissance and was a Spanish or Italian dance song. The French poets named their unstructured poems villanelles. The villanelle was written mainly about rustic and pastoral themes.