Poetry Flashcards
What are characteristics of Poetry?
- Brevity and Density (condenses meaning into a shorter form)
- Subjectivity (Personal perspective and emotions of speaker)
- Musciality and Lyricism (rhythm, metre and sound patterns)
- Structural Complexity (Phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic)
- Deviation from standard language
- Lines, Metre, Stanza
- Rhyme Schemes
What is the communication Modell for Poetry?
Extratextual:
- Real historical author
- Real reader
Intratextual
Lyric I: fictive speaker:
- explicit subjectivity: lyric persona clearly represented
- implicit subjectivity: subjectivity inferred, less visible
Subject Matter of Speech
Lyric thou: fictive addressee
- explicit: clearly addressed in second person
- implicit: indirectly hinted at through tone or text
Speech situation can change throughout poem
!!!Lyrical I and Lyrical thou are never the actual author or addressee!!!
What is a foot?
Structure
The smallest metrical unit, a foot is a combination of stressed (/) and unstressed (˘) syllables.
Types of Feet:
- Iamb: ˘ / (e.g., “to-DAY”)
- Trochee: / ˘ (e.g., “TA-ble”)
- Dactyl: / ˘ ˘ (e.g., “HAP-pi-ly”)
- Anapaest: ˘ ˘ / (e.g., “in the DARK”)
- Spondee: / / (e.g., “BREAK, BREAK”).
- Amphibrach: ˘ / ˘ (e.g. “
What is Metre and how number of feet?
Structure
Metre is the formal arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Number of Feet
- Trimeter: Three feet (The kíng | sits in Dúm|ferline tówn).
- Tetrameter: Four feet (Behóld | the híp|popó|tamús!).
- Pentameter: Five feet (My míst|ress’ éyes| are nó|thing líke| the sún).
- Hexameter: Six feet (Ánd as | I líve | you wil | sée my | héxam|eters).
What is Rhythm, Enjambment, and Caesura?
Rhythm
- Definition: Rhythm arises from the interaction between metre and linguistic features like sentence structure, word length, and phonology.
Enjambment
- Definition: When a sentence or phrase extends beyond the line break.
- Example: “Policemen look suspicious to normal | Murderers.”
Caesura:
- Definiton: A pause within a line, often marked by punctuation, to emphasize thematic breaks.
- Example: “You máke | us shélls. || You lí|sten wíth | delíght.”
What Ryhme Schemes are there?
- Couplets: aa bb cc.
- Alternate rhyme: abab cdcd.
- Enclosed rhyme (embracing): abba cddc.
- Chain rhyme (interlocking): aba bcb cdc.
- Tail rhyme: aab ccb.
What sound patterns are there (phonological)?
Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
- Example: “When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush”
Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds with varying intervening vowels.
- Example: “Gobbets of blubber spill to wind and weather”
Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds.
- Example: “Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay”
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate natural sounds.
- Example: “Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
What are key types of word repetition (morphologocial)?
Anaphora: Repetition at the beginning of successive clauses or lines.
- Example: “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this…”
Epiphora: Repetition at the end of successive clauses or lines.
- Example: “The yellow fog… upon the window-panes, / The yellow smoke… on the window-panes”.
Epanalepsis: Repetition of words in close succession or after intervening text.
- Example: “I celebrate myself, and sing myself”
Anadiplosis: Repetition of the last word of one line or clause at the start of the next.
- Example: “And gentle wishes long subdued, / Subdued and cherished long”
What are key types of poetic syntax (syntactic)?
Parallelism: Similar structure in successive clauses or sentences.
- Example: “Happy my studies… / Happier their author…” (Pope).
Chiasmus: Reversal of structures (ABBA pattern).
- Example: “With wealth your state, your mind with arts, improve” (Donne).
Inversion: Reversal of normal word order.
- Example: “Here rests his head upon the lap of earth” (Gray).
Hysteron Proteron: Reversal of logical sequence.
- Example: “I die! I faint! I fail!” (Shelley).
Zeugma: A verb applies to multiple objects in different senses.
- Example: “Dost sometimes counsel take – and sometimes Tea” (Pope).
What types of imagery are there (semantic)?
Metaphor: Compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”
- Vehicle: The figurative image or word used (e.g., diamonds).
- Tenor: The subject being described (e.g., eyes).
- Shared Semantic Space: Shared qualities of a metaphor (e.g., sparkling or precious, but not hard and diamond shaped).
Other key semantic tropes:
- Simile: Explicit comparison using “like” or “as.
- Personification: Assigns human qualities to non-human elements.
- Symbol: material object stands for something else (scales = symbolds of justice)
- Allegory: multiple symbols (scales, blindfold, dagger)
Figures of Continuity:
- Metonymy: Replaces one term with a logically related one. (suits -> executives)
- Synecdoche: Uses a part to represent a whole (or vice versa). (all hands on deck -> sailors)
- Antonomasia: Replaces a name with an epithet or vice versa. (A Daniel come to judgement)
Other Tropes:
- Euphemism: Substitutes harsh terms with gentler ones.
- Hyperbole: Exaggerates for effect.
- Irony: Says the opposite of what is meant.
- Oxymoron: Combines contradictory terms.
- Paradox: A contradictory statement that reveals truth.
What is a Sonnet?
Definition and Origin
- Italian poetry tradition brought to England during the Renaissance.
- Credited to Sir Thomas Wyatt.
Common Themes:
- Unfulfilled love, often addressing an unattainable mistress (apostrophe).
- Praise of physical features (blazon) with comparisons to nature.
Structure:
- 14 lines, iambic pentameter.
- Volta: A fundamental thematic shift, often marked by rhyme or structure changes.
What is an Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet?
Rhyme Scheme: abbaabba cdcdcd
- Octave (abbaabba): Introduces a problem or theme.
- Sestet (cdcdcd): Offers a resolution.
- Volta: Between octave and sestet.
Common Themes:
- Courtly love (Petrarch’s sonnets to Laura).
- Suffering in love, idealization of the beloved.
What is an English/Shakespearean Sonnet?
Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
- 3 quatrains (abab cdcd efef): Explore variations of a theme.
- Heroic couplet (gg): Offers the conclusion or central message.
Common Themes:
- Physical beauty, love, nature.
- Apostrophes and catalogues of beauty.
