When Rilke writes out one of Kappus’s sonnets (so that the young poet can read his own poetry in someone else’s handwriting), the sonnet itself symbolizes the strange mystery of the creative process. Rilke tells Kappus that reading his own words in an unfamiliar hand will allow him to truly appreciate the power and beauty of the sonnet in a new way. On a certain level, it makes sense that this technique would help Kappus see his poetry with new eyes, since the relative unfamiliarity of Rilke’s handwriting creates a sense of emotional distance between Kappus and the sonnet. More importantly, though, this little trick suggests that the entire creative process is quite subjective and complex. The mere fact that Rilke went to the trouble of writing out the poem for Kappus reveals just how hard it is for artists to step back and assess their own work, since it’s difficult for people to accurately evaluate things they’ve spent so much time thinking about. As a result, the sonnet itself comes to represent the challenge artists face when trying to gain clarity about their work.
The Sonnet Symbol Timeline in Letters to a Young Poet
