OVERVIEW:

THE MUSIC AND FORMS

OF POETRY

WHAT IS A POEM?

NO UNIVERSALLY AGREED UPON

DEFINITION.

BUT ONE ESSENTIAL FACT IS

THAT POETRY BEGAN AS SONG.

POETRY AS SONG

WHAT MOST DISTINGUISHES POETRY

FROM PROSE ARE ITS MUSICAL

QUALITIES: I.E., ITS RHYTHM,

SOUND, & STRUCTURAL PATTERNS

RHYTHM

LANGUAGE CONSISTS OF A SEQUENCE

OF SOUNDS (VOWELS & CONSONANTS)

ORGANIZED INTO SYLLABLES OF

VARYING EMPHASIS (OR “STRESS”).

RHYTHM (cont.)

IF A POEM’S RHYTHM IS ORGANIZED

INTO A RECURRING PATTERN, THIS

IS CALLED METER.

METER

PROCESS OF ANALYZING A POEM’S

METER (I.E., OF DETERMINING THE

PATTERN OF UNSTRESSED &

STRESSED SYLLABLES PER LINE) IS

CALLED SCANSION.

METER (cont.)

OF THE FOUR METRICAL

SYSTEMS IN ENGLISH POETRY,

THE MOST COMMON BY FAR IS

ACCENTUAL-SYLLABIC METER.

METER (cont.)

IN THIS METRICAL SYSTEM THE

BASIC RHYTHMIC UNIT IS CALLED

A FOOT (A COMBINATION OF 2 OR

3 STRESSED AND/OR

UNSTRESSED SYLLABLES).

METER (cont.)

THE FOUR MOST COMMON FEET

IN ENGLISH POETRY:

IAMB (adj. IAMBIC)

unstressed-stressed (NEW YORK)

TROCHEE (adj. TROCHAIC)

stressed-unstressed (DELHI)

METER (cont.)

COMMON FEET (cont.):

ANAPEST (adj. ANAPESTIC)

unstressed-unstressed-stressed

(TENNESSEE)

DACTYL (adj. DACTYLIC)

stressed-unstressed-unstressed

(DELAWARE)

METER (cont.)

FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE

RISE OF FREE VERSE IN THE 20TH

CENTURY, IAMBIC METER WAS

THE MOST COMMON IN ENGLISH

POETRY, CONSIDERED BY MANY

TO BE THE METER CLOSEST TO

EVERYDAY SPEECH.

METER (cont.)

BECAUSE IAMBS & ANAPESTS END

WITH A STRESSED SYLLABLE,

THEY CONSTITUTE WHAT IS

CALLED RISING METER.

METER (cont.)

TROCHEES & DACTYLS, WHICH END

W/ AN UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE, CON-

STITUTE FALLING METER.

METER (cont.)

DIFFERENT METERS ALSO CREATE

DIFFERENT EMOTIONAL EFFECTS.

FOR EXAMPLE, IAMBIC METER

LENDS ITSELF TO SOLEMN,

SERIOUS SUB-JECTS, WHILE

TROCHAIC METER CAN CREATE A

LIGHTER, MORE PLAYFUL EFFECT.

METER (cont.)

NOTE ON TROCHAIC METER: OFTEN

THE FINAL UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE IN

A TROCHAIC LINE IS OMITTED, THUS

EMPHASIZING THE STRESSED SYLLA-

BLE NEEDED FOR RHYME. THIS IS

CALLED A CATALECTIC LINE END.

METER (cont.)

NUMBER OF FEET PER LINE: 1--MONOMETER 2--DIMETER 3--TRIMETER 4--TETRAMETER 5--PENTAMETER 6--HEXAMETER 7--HEPTAMETER

METER (cont.)

MOST COMMON METRICAL LINE

(OR BASE RHYTHM) IN ENGLISH

POETRY IS IAMBIC PENTAMETER.

METER (cont.)

TOO REGULAR OR OBVIOUS A METER

CAN BECOME BORING, SO POETS OF-

TEN INTRODUCE VARIATIONS INTO

THE BASE RHYTHM OF A POEM.

METER (cont.)

IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO REALIZE

THAT SCANSION IS TO AN EXTENT

A MATTER OF INTERPRETATION,

B/C THE RHYTHM OF A POEM CAN

VARY FROM SPEAKER TO SPEAKER

& SITUA-TION TO SITUATION.

METER (cont.)

FOR THE SIMPLE SET OF

SYMBOLS THAT HAS EVOLVED

FOR MARKING THE STRESSES (&

PAUSES, CALLED CAESURA) IN A

POEM, SEE P. 1252+ IN THE

NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY.

METER (cont.)

ANOTHER NOTEWORTHY METRICAL

SYSTEM IS SYLLABIC METER,

WHICH MEASURES THE NUMBER

OF SYLLABLES IN A LINE WITHOUT

RE-GARD TO THEIR STRESS.

METER (cont.)

A TYPE OF POEM THAT EMPLOYS

SYLLABIC METER IS THE HAIKU,

AN UNRHYMED 3-LINE POEM OF

17 SYLLABLES (DIVIDED 5, 7, 5)

THAT TRADITIONALLY PRESENTS

AN IMAGE FROM NATURE.

CAESURA

IF A GRAMMATICAL PAUSE

OCCURS AT THE END OF A LINE,

THAT LINE IS SAID TO BE END-

STOPPED. IT IS THE OPPOSITE OF

A RUN-ON LINE, WHERE THERE IS

NO PAUSE (OR PUNCTUATION) AT

THE END.

CAESURA (cont.)

END-STOPPED LINES TEND TO SLOW

DOWN THE PACE OF A POEM, WHILE

RUN-ON LINES TEND TO SPEED IT UP.

COMMON SOUND EFFECTS

MORE THAN ANY OTHER

ELEMENT, RHYME IS WHAT MOST

PEOPLE ASSOCIATE WITH POETRY.

RHYME DEFINED

RHYME IS THE CORRESPONDENCE,

IN TWO OR MORE WORDS, BETWEEN

A VOWEL SOUND AND ANY SUBSE-

QUENT SOUNDS IN A STRESSED

SYLLABLE (SUN/RUN, MAY/TODAY).

RHYME (cont.)

RHYME MAY OCCUR AT THE END

OF A LINE (END RHYME) OR IN

THE MIDDLE (INTERNAL RHYME).

RHYME (cont.)

IF WORDS W/ A SINGLE STRESSED

SYLLABLE RHYME, THAT’S CALLED

MASCULINE RHYME.

RHYME (cont.)

IF WORDS W/ A STRESSED SYLLABLE

FOLLOWED BY AN UNSTRESSED

SYLLABLE RHYME (DYING, CRYING),

THAT’S CALLED FEMININE RHYME.

RHYME (cont.)

POETS MAY EMPLOY PERFECT

(TRUE, EXACT) RHYME, OR TAKE

POETIC LICENSE AND USE VARIOUS

FORMS OF IMPERFECT RHYME.

IMPERFECT RHYME (cont.)

AN EXAMPLE OF IMPERFECT RHYME IS

SLANT (OFF, NEAR, HALF) RHYME.

USUALLY A MATCH OF CONSONANT

SOUNDS FOLLOWING DIFFERENT VOWELS

(MYTH/MATH, FORCE/FARCE).

IMPERFECT RHYMES (cont.)

EYE RHYMES ARE WORDS WHOSE

ENDINGS ARE SPELLED THE SAME

BUT THAT OVER TIME HAVE COME

TO BE PRONOUNCED DIFFERENTLY

(E.G., LOVE, PROVE).

SOUND EFFECTS (cont.)

ASSONANCE

REPETITION OF IDENTICAL OR

SIMILAR VOWEL SOUNDS FOLLOWED

BY DIFF-ERENT CONSONANTS

(LAKE/FATE, KILL/ KISS).

SOUND EFFECTS (cont.)

ALLITERATION USUALLY THE REPETITION OF

INITIAL CONSONANT (OR VOWEL) SOUNDS IN A SEQUENCE OF NEARBY WORDS (EX.: THE FAIR BREEZE BLEW, THE WHITE FOAM FLEW).CAN ALSO APPLY TO STRESSED

SYLLABLES WITHIN WORDS.

SOUND EFFECTS (cont.)

ONOMATOPOEIA

USE OF WORDS THAT IMITATE

SOUNDS OR THAT MATCH THE

SOUND WITH THE SENSE OF THE

WORD (E.G., SPLASH, ZIP, CRACK).

MAJOR TYPES OF POETRY

ONE USEFUL WAY OF THINKING

ABOUT POETRY IS IN TERMS OF

THREE BROAD CATEGORIES:

NARRATIVE POEMS

DRAMATIC POEMS

LYRIC POEMS

TYPES OF POETRY (cont.)

NARRATIVE POEMS TELL

STORIES, STRESS ACTION. THIS

CATEGORY INCLUDES EPICS

(SUCH AS BEOWULF) & BALLADS

(LIKE “SIR PATRICK SPENS”).

TYPES OF POETRY (cont.)

DRAMATIC POEMS ARE EITHER

MONOLOGUES OR DIALOGUES

WRIT-TEN IN THE VOICE OF A

CHARACTER CREATED BY THE

POET.

DRAMATIC POEMS (cont.)

EXAMPLES INCLUDE DRAMATIC

MONOLOGUES SUCH AS BROWN-

ING’S “MY LAST DUCHESS” AND

TENNYSON’S “ULYSSES.”

TYPES OF POETRY (cont.)

LYRIC POEMS EXPRESS THE

THOUGHTS OR EMOTIONS OF A

SINGLE SPEAKER WHO MAY OR

MAY NOT BE THE POET HIM-

OR HERSELF.

LYRIC POEMS (cont.)

THIS IS THE MOST BROADLY

INCLU-SIVE TYPE OF POETRY AND

INCLUDES SONNETS, ODES, AND

ELEGIES, AMONG OTHERS.

BASIC FORMS OF POETRY

BLANK VERSE

UNRHYMED IAMBIC PENTAMETER; THE

VERSE FORM CLOSEST TO THE

RHYTHMS OF EVERYDAY ENGLISH

SPEECH.

BASIC FORMS OF POETRY (cont.)

COUPLET

A TWO-LINE UNIT OF VERSE, USUALLY

LINKED BY RHYME.

TERCET

A STANZA OF THREE LINES

TRADITION-ALLY LINKED W/ A SINGLE

RHYME.

BASIC FORMS OF POETRY (cont.)

QUATRAIN

A STANZA OF FOUR LINES, RHYMED

OR UNRHYMED.

THE MOST COMMON STANZA FORM

IN ENGLISH POETRY.

QUATRAIN (cont.)

MOST COMMON TYPE OF QUATRAIN

IS THE BALLAD STANZA, IN WHICH

LINES OF IAMBIC TETRAMETER

ALTERNATE W/ IAMBIC TRIMETER,

RHYMING ABCB (OR ABAB).

BASIC FORMS OF POETRY (cont.)

THOUGH THE SONNET

ORIGINATED IN ITALY, IT IS ONE

OF THE OLDEST & MOST WIDELY

USED VERSE FORMS IN ENGLISH.

SONNET (cont.)

TRADITIONALLY A 14-LINE LYRIC

POEM IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER W/

AN INTRICATE RHYME SCHEME.

SONNET (cont.)

ENGLISH (SHAKESPEARIAN)

SON-NET

CONSISTS OF THREE QUATRAINS

(RHYM-ING ABAB CDCD EFEF) + A

COUPLET (RHYMING GG) THAT

PROVIDES AN OFTEN UNEXPECTED

COMMENTARY OR CON-CLUSION.

THE FORMS OF POETRY

A POEM WRITTEN IN IRREGULAR

FORM (SUCH AS AN ODE) MAY

EMPLOY RHYME & METER BUT NOT

FOLLOW ANY FIXED PATTERN.

THE FORMS OF POETRY (cont.)

UNLIKE CLOSED FORM POEMS

SUCH AS SONNETS, OPEN FORM

(OR FREE VERSE) POEMS MAKE

LITTLE OR NO USE OF TRADITIONAL

RHYME & ME-TER, ARE NOT

WRITTEN ACCORDING TO ANY

ESTABLISHED RULES OF

VERSIFICATION.

THE FORMS OF POETRY (cont.)

SOME IDENTIFIABLE FORMS OF

EXPERIMENTAL POETRY INCLUDE

PROSE POETRY, FOUND

POETRY, AND SHAPED POETRY.

POETIC SYNTAX

READERS OF POETRY MUST BE ALERT TO THE FACT THAT POETS OFTEN EXERCISE POETIC LICENSE WHEN IT COMES TO THE RULES THAT GOVERN EVERYDAY SPEECH (E.G., BY INVERT-ING NORMAL WORD ORDER), THUS POSING A CHALLENGE FOR THE READER.