Poetic Forms
Closed Form Poetry
Poetry written in specific and traditional
patterns produced through control of rhyme,
meter, line-length and line groupings
Open Form Poetry
Poems that avoid traditional structural
patterns such as rhyme or meter, in favor of
other methods of organization
Quatrain
A stanza of four lines…possible rhyme schemes vary
from unrhymed quatrain to almost any arrangement of
one, two, or three rhyme lines
Stanza
a recurrent grouping of two or more verse lines in
terms of length, metrical form and often rhyme
scheme…division of stanzas is sometimes made
according to thought as well as form…a unit like a
prose paragraph-a group of poetic lines corresponding
to paragraphs in prose; the meters and rhymes are
usually repeating or systematic
Blank Verse
unrhymed but otherwise regular verse, usually iambic
pentameter
Free Verse
poetry based on the natural rhythms of phrases and
normal pauses, not metrical feet…a type of open form
poetry
Couplet
two consecutive lines of verse with end rhymes…two
lines which may be unified by rhyme, or in Biblical
poetry by content
Tercet/Triplet
a stanza of three lines, a triplet in which line ends
with the same line…a three line unit of poetry
or stanza, often rhyming
Terza Rima
three line stanza with rhyme scheme
Villanelle
a fixed 19 line form, originally French, employing
only two rhymes and repeating two of thelines
according to a set pattern…line 1 is repeated as
lines 6, 12, and 18, line 3 as 9, 15 and 19, the
first and third lines return as a rhymed couple at
the end…rhyme scheme aba aba aba aba aba abaa…a
closed form poem of 19 lines composed of 5 tercets
and a concluding quatrain the form requires that
whole lines be repeated in a specific order and that
only two rhyming sounds occur throughout
aba bcb cdc ded…
Sonnet
a poem of 14 lines in iambic pentameter…it follow one
of several set rhyme schemes
English/Shakespearian
a sonnet consisting of three quatrains followed by a
couplet-rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg
Italian/Petrarchan
sonnet divided into an octave and a sestet…rhyme
scheme abba abba cdecde
Ballad
form of verse to be sung or recited and characterized
by its presentation of a dramatic or exciting episode
in simple narrative form…a narrative poem composed of
quatrains in which lines of iambic tetrameter
alternate with iambic trimester rhyming xa xa
Lyric Poetry
a brief subjective poem strongly marked by
imagination, melody and emotion and creating a single
unified impression…a short poem written in a repeated
stanzaic form, often designed to be set to music
Ode
a single unified strain of exalted lyrical verse
directed to a single purpose and dealing with one
theme…divided into strophe, antistrophe, and epode.
There are three types-Pindaric, Horatian and
Irregular…a variable stanzaic poetic form usually
long with varying line lengths and sometimes
intricate rhyme schemes
Haiku
a form of
3lines of
to arouse
spiritual
Epigram
a pithy saying…a short and witty poem often in
couplets that makes a humorous or satiric poem
Limerick
a form of light verse that follows a definite
pattern:5 anapestic lines of which the first, second
and fifth consisting of three feet rhyme; and the
third and fourth lines consisting of two feet rhyme…a
brief poem with pre-established lengths and rhyming
patterns designed to be humorous and often risqué
Prose Poem
a short work laid out to look like prose but
employing the methods of verse such as rhythm and
imagery for poetic ends
Visual Poetry
poetry written so that the lines form a recognizable
shape, such as a pair of wings- also called concrete
poetry or shaped verse
Japanese poetry that gives-usually in
5,7,5 syllables- a clear picture designed
a distinct emotion and suggest a specific
insight
Concrete Poetry
graphic art…poetry that exploits the graphic, visual
aspect of writing
Shaped Verse
a poem constructed so its printed form suggest its
subject matter
Structure
Prosody
the principles of versification particularly as they
refer to rhyme, meter, rhythm and stanza
Metrics
the study of the patterns of rhythm in poetry
Versification
the art and practice of writing verse- the term
includes all the mechanical elements making up poetic
composition…the word is also applied to the
transformation of prose into verse- mechanics of
verse are prosody
Music of Poetry
Scansion
a system for describing conventional rhythms by
dividing lines into feet, indicating the locations of
binomial accents and counting syllables…the act of
determining the prevailing rhythm of a poem…there are
three methods Traditional/Graphic written means of
indicating mechanical elements; Musical employing
musical notation; Acoustic using complex machines
Rhyme
Identity of terminal sound between accented
syllables, usually occupying corresponding positions
in two or more lines of verse…repetition of identical
or nearly identical concluding syllables in different
words most often at the end of lines
Exact Rhyme
rhyming words in which both the vowel and consonant
sounds rhyme…it is important to note that rhymes
result from sound rather than spelling…words do not
have to be spelled the same way or look alike to
rhyme
Internal Rhyme
the occurrence of rhyming words within a single line
of verse
Cliché rhyme
trite and widely used rhymes such as moon and June or
trees and breeze
Inexact Rhyme
rhymes that are created out of words with similar but
not identical sounds…in most of these instances
either the vowel segments are different while the
consonants are the same or vice versa- this type of
rhyme is variously called slant rhyme, near rhyme,
half rhyme, off rhyme, analyzed rhyme or suspended
rhyme
Identical Rhyme
a syllable both begins and ends in the same way as a
rhyming syllable without being the same word ex: rain
rein and reign… also called a redundant rhyme or a
rime riche
Eye/Sight Rhyme
rhyme that appears correct form the spelling but is
not so from the pronunciation ex: love and move
Vowel Rhyme
the use of vowels in rhyming positions as in day and
sky
Internal Rhyme
rhyme that occurs at some point before the last
syllable in a line… rhyming words within a single
line of verse
Alliteration
the repetition of initial identical consonant sounds
or any vowel sounds in successive or closely
associated syllables, especially stressed syllables
Assonance
patterning of vowel sounds without regard to
consonants… patterning may be successive, alternating
or chiastic… the repetition of identical vowel sounds
in different words in close proximity ex: deep green
sea
Consonance
the relation between words in which the final
consonants in the stressed syllables agree but the
vowels that precede them differ ex: add read, mill
ball, torn burn and eye rhymes
Rhyme Scheme
the pattern in which rhyme sounds occur in a stanza…
the pattern of rhyme usually indicated by assigning a
letter of the alphabet to each rhyming sound
Meter
the recurrence in poetry of a rhythmic pattern or the
rhythm established by the regular occurrence of
similar units of sound
Monometer
a line of verse consisting of one foot
Dimeter
a line of verse consisting of two feet
Trimeter
a line of verse consisting of three feet
Tetrameter
a line of verse consisting of four feet
Pentameter
a line of verse consisting of five feet
Hexameter
a line of verse consisting of six feet
Heptameter/Septameter
a line of verse consisting of seven feet
Octameter
a line of verse consisting of eight feet
Foot
the unit of rhythm in verse whether quantative or
accentual syllabic… the measured combinations of
heavy and light stresses such as the iamb
Iamb
a foot consisting of an unaccented syllable and an
accented- the most common in English verse
Trochee
a foot consisting of an accented and an unaccented
syllable ex: happy…trochees are generally unpopular
for sustained writing because they soon degenerate
into a rocking rhythm… long rhymed trochaic poems are
extremely rare because all rhymes would have to be
feminine
Spondee
a foot composed of two accented syllables…rare…
usually composed of two monosyllabic words ex: all
joy
Pyrrhic
a foot composed of two accented syllables occurs most
often as variants in iambic verse
Dacytl
a foot consisting of one accented syllable followed
by two unaccented ex: manikin
Anapest
consisting of three syllables with two unaccented
syllables followed by an accented one
Imperfect Foot
a metrical foot consisting of a single syllable
either heavily or lightly stressed
Stress
the emphasis given a spoken syllable
Heavy Stress
a syllable that receives strong emphasis and loudness
Light
a syllable receiving less emphasis than syllables
near it which receive greater stress
Accent
beat-a heavy stress in a line of poetry… the number
of beats in a line usually dictates the meter of the
line
Line
a fundamental conceptual unit, normally realized as a
single spoken or written sequence of elements and
possible zoned by various sorts of pronunciation,
meter, rhyme, and other devices… the basic poetic
unit of length appearing as a single word or even as
part of a word… lines in the closed poetic form are
composed of determinable numbers of metrical feet…
lines in the open poetic form are composed of
variable feet depending on content and rhythmical
speech patterns
Caesura
a pause or break in a line of verse… the pause
separating phrases within lines of poetry
End-Stopped
a poetic line ending in a full pause, usually
indicated with a period or semicolon
Run-On/Enjambment
a line having no end punctuation but running over to
the next line
Sound
Onomatopoeia
words that by their sound suggest their meaning… a
blending of consonant and vowel sounds designed to
imitate or suggest the activity being described
Euphony
pleasing sounds… “good sounds” refer to word groups
containing consonants that permit and easy and
pleasant flow of spoken sound
Cacophony
“bad sounds” refers to words combining sharp or harsh
sounds
Content: Literary Elements and Devices
Speaker/Persona
literally a mark-term is widely used to refer to a
“second-self” created by and author and through whom
the narrative is told
Point of View
the speaker, voice, narrator or persona of a work;
the position from which details are perceived and
related; a centralizing mind or intelligence not to
be confused with opinion or belief… the vantage point
from which an author presents a story
Dialogue
the speeches of two or more characters in a story,
play or poem
Monologue
a long speech spoken by a single character to himself
or herself to the audience or to an off stage
character
Setting
the background against which action takes place
including: geographical location, occupation and
daily manner of living of the characters, time or
period in which the action takes place, general
environment of the characters
Specific Language
words referring to objects or conditions that may be
perceived or imagined
General Language
words referring to broads classes of persons, objects
or phenomena
Diction
the use of words in oral or written discourse
Concrete Diction
words that describe exact and particular conditions
or qualities ex: cold and sweet when referring to ice
cream
Abstract Diction
language describing qualities that are rarefied and
theoretical ex: good and nice
High/Formal Diction
the level of usage common on serious books and formal
discourse
Low Diction
the use of slang- a group of newly coined words which
are not acceptable for formal use usage yet
Middle Diction
the use of informal or colloquial… the level of usage
found in the relaxed but polite conversation of
cultivated people; colloquial refers to the everyday
usage of a group and it may include terms and
constructions accepted in that group but not widely
acceptable
Idiom
the use of words peculiar to a given language- and
expression that cannot be translated literally… usage
that produces unique words and phrases within
regions, classes or groups- also the habits and
structures of particular language
Dialects
when the speech of two groups or of two persons
representing two groups both speaking the same
“language” exhibits very marked differences, the
groups or persons are said to speak different
dialects… language characteristics involving
pronunciation, unique words, and vocal rhythmsparticular to regions such as the South
Slang
a vernacular speech, not acceptable as suitable for
highly formal usage, though much used in
conversation… informal diction and substandard
vocabulary
Jargon
confused speech resulting particularly from the
mingling of several languages or dialects… the term
is also used to refer to any strange languages which
sounds uncouth to us
Syntax
the rule governed arrangements of words in sentences…
word order and sentence structure- a mark of style is
a writer’s syntactical patterning depending on the
rhetorical needs of the literary work
Rhetoric
the art of persuasive writing: broadly the art of all
effective writing… the presentation of ideas in clear
persuasive language
Parallelism
such and arrangement that one element of equal
importance with another is similarly developed and
phrased… a figure of speech in which the same
grammatical forms are repeated
Repetition
reiteration of a word, sound, phrase or idea
Antithesis
a figure of speech characterized by strongly
contrasting words, clauses, sentences or ideas… a
rhetorical device of opposition or contrast in which
one idea or word is established and then the opposite
idea or word is expressed
Denotation
the basic meaning of a word, independent of its
emotional coloration or associations
Connotation
the emotional implications and associations that
words may carry as distinguished from their
denotative meanings- they may be private and
personal, the result of individual experience, group
or universal
Imagery
the collection of images in a literary work… images
are references that trigger the mind to fuse together
memories of… sights(visual), tastes(gustatory),
sounds(auditory), smells(olfactory), touch(tactile),
and motion(kinetic and kinesthetic)… imagery refers
to images throughout a work
Figures of Speech
organized patterns of comparison that deepen,
broaden, extend, illuminate and emphasize meaning and
also that conform to particular patterns of forms
such as metaphor, simile, and parallelism… there are
two types: metaphorical language and figurative
language- rhetorical figures are departures from
customary usage to achieve to achieve special effects
without changing the radical meaning of the words and
tropes involve basic changes in the meaning of words“figures of thought”
Metaphor
an analogy identifying one object with another and
ascribing to the first object one or more of the
qualities of the second… describing something as
though it actually were something else
Simile
a figure in which a similarity between two objects is
directly expressed, most are introduced by as or
like… a figure comparison using like with nouns and
as with clauses
Paradox
a statement that although seemingly contradictory or
absurd may actually be well founded or true… a figure
of speech embodying a contradiction that is
nevertheless true
Anaphora
one of the devices of repetition in which the same
expressions is repeated at the beginning of two or
more lines, clauses, or sentences… the effect is to
lend weight and emphasis
Apostrophe
the addressing of a discourse to a real or imagined
person who is not present; also a speech to an
abstraction
Personification
a figure that endows animals, ideas, abstractions and
inanimate objects with human form; the representing
of imaginary creatures or things as having human
personalities
Synecdoche
a trope in which a part signifies the whole or the
whole signifies the part… a part stands for a whole
or a whole for a part
Metonymy
the substitution of the name of an object closely
associated with a word or the word itself
Pun/Paranomasia
a witty word play that reveals which words with
different meanings have similar or even identical
sounds… play on words based on the similarity of
sound between two words with different meanings
Synaesthesia
the concurrents response of two or more of the senses
to the stimulation of one- the description of one
kind of sensation in terms of another… a figure of
speech writing or fusing separate sensations or
feelings; the description of one type of perception
or thought with words that are appropriate to another
Overstatement/Hyperbole exaggeration- may be used to heighten effect or it
may be used for humor
Understatement/Litotes
understatement in which a thing is affirmed by
stating the negative of its opposite
Tone
attitudes toward the subject and audience implied in
a literary work- tone may be informal, formal,
intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic,
condescending etc.
Irony
the recognition of a reality different from
appearance
Verbal Irony
figure of speech in which the actual intent is
expressed in words that carry the opposite meaning
Situational Irony
emphasizing that human beings are enmeshed in forces
beyond their comprehension and control…
Dramatic Irony
special kind of situational irony in which a
character perceives his/her plight in a limited way
while the audience and one or more of the other
characters understand it entirely
Symbolism
the use of one object to represent or suggest in
another
Symbol
something that is itself and also stand for something
else- in a literary sense a symbol combines a literal
and sensuous quality with an abstract or suggestive
aspect
Cultural/Universal Symbol
a symbol recognized and shared as a result of a
common social and cultural heritage
Contextual Symbol
symbol that is derived not from common historical,
cultural or religious materials but that is rather
developed within the context of an individual work…
also known as private and authorial symbols
Allusion
a figure of speech that makes brief reference to a
historical or literary figure, event or object…
unacknowledged references and quotations which
authors make while assuming the readers will
recognize the original sources and relate the meaning
to new context
Archetypes
a term brought into literary criticism from the
psychology of Carl Jung who holds that behind each
individual’s “unconscious” the blocked-off residue of
the human race… a character or action or situation
that is a prototype or pattern of human life
generally; a situation that occurs over and over
again in literature, such as a quest, an initiation,
or a attempt to overcome evil
Theme/Main Idea
a central idea- the general topic of discussion, the
subject of the discourse… the abstract concept that
is made concrete through representation in person,
action and image