Poetic Terminology

SOME POETIC TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Quite a few terms get tossed around in writing workshops—some of which you might not be familiar with—so I typed up a handy cheat-sheet.

Lyric Poetry – In general, lyric poetry uses image, sound, and other poetic techniques to inspire a certain feeling in the reader, sometimes in a “non-traditional” or “experimental” way, WITHOUT putting forth a clear, story-type narrative. Examples of lyric poets: e.e. cummings, Bob Hicok, maybe Sylvia Plath and some of Kim Addonizio’s stuff, etc.

Narrative Poetry – Put simply, narrative poetry is poetry that tells a story. What distinguishes it from prose is the greater attention played to image, sound, line breaks (especially if they cause dramatic affect and/or create double meanings), etc. Put another way, in narrative poetry, the primary energy comes from the story (often told via elegant use of colloquial language), with the language backing that up, whereas in lyric poetry, the energy comes more or less entirely from word choice. Examples of narrative poets: Tony Hoagland, Marie Howe, Billy Collins, William Carlos Williams, Sharon Olds and Dorianne Laux.

Note: a poem could also be considered a “lyrical narrative” if it tells a story while maintaining hyper-awareness of sound and image to produce a strong “lyric” affect. In other words, “lyrical narrative” poetry is poetry that fires equally with both barrels. I think Anne Sexton’s poetry fits into this category, maybe George Bilgere as well. However, it’s tricky to try and assign writers to categories because, like we discussed, some poets change styles depending on what they’re writing.

Prose-Poetry – Basically, a prose-poem is the bastard offspring of poetry and prose, i.e. a poem told in paragraph form, or a piece of prose with atypical attention paid to language. Obviously, prose-poetry doesn’t utilize line breaks; it does, however, require a level of attention paid to sound and language that is more commonly seen in poetry than in prose.

Flash Fiction – This is where things get tricky. Think of flash fiction as a prose-poem that’s tipping a little more in the prose direction, i.e. a “prose-poem” that’s more than one paragraph, maybe a whole short story told in the space of just one or two or three pages. Another note: flash fiction and prose-poems are a great middle ground between poets and fiction writers. Often, it’s the best way for those who want to experiment with other genres to get their feet wet. Besides that, I think all poets should have a healthy respect for fiction, and vice versa, since it just puts more tools in the figurative toolbox.

Accessibility – This relates to how obvious or hidden you want the overall feeling or message of your writing to be. The more “accessible” a poem is, the “easier” it is for the reader to “get” at least some of it early on (maybe even on the first read). Important: even with very accessible poetry, though, the goal is that the more time you spend with the poem, the more you’ll get out of it.

On the other hand, some poets (like e.e. cummings) prefer to write poems that are more difficult to “get” the first time, the thought being that the harder you have to work, the more you’ll enjoy the prize. Compare e.e. cummings or even Emily Dickinson to, say, Billy Collins or Tony Hoagland and you can see they’re generally on opposing ends of the “accessibility” spectrum.

Aesthetic – As it pertains to us as writers, what you personally think constitutes “good” and “bad” writing—or, to phrase it a bit less judgmentally, the kind of stuff you want to write versus the kind of stuff you don’t, and why.

Diction – This refers to your word choice.

Syntax – This refers to the order of your written words. Compare, for example, the experimental syntax of e.e. cummings versus the more straightforward syntax of Billy Collins.

Denotation – This refers to the literal meaning of a word.

Connotation – This refers to the general implication of a word.  

For instance, compare the denotation and connotation of the word pleasure. The denotative meaning is simply a feeling of enjoyment, whereas the connotative meaning (i.e. how writers and speakers actually use it) refers more often than not to something sexual.

Ictus – When scanning lines, an ictus is a stressed syllable, represented by a / symbol.

Breve – When scanning lines, a breve is an unstressed syllable, represented by a U symbol.

This is important for poets and fiction writers alike. Most writers try to have more stressed than unstressed syllables in a line, the reason being that stressed syllables generally carry more energy (which is why the most emphatic-sounding swear words are just one or two syllables). The natural way to have more stressed than unstressed syllables is to use common or “colloquial” language, but do so in an elegant manner. Of course you can break this rule, i.e. use “bigger words,” but be aware that you’re doing it and ask if the payoff trumps the risk.

Stop for a moment and think about your college textbooks. Ever read one that struck you as unbelievably boring? I bet the reason was that it was written in an overly formal style that used too many unstressed syllables (“utilize” versus “use,” “consequently” versus “thus” or “therefore,” “erudite” versus “smart”, etc.). On the other hand, using unstressed syllables as a build up to a tone change (similar to the punch line of a joke) or using longer words in an usual or unexpected way, can have a big payoff if done well.

End-stop – A line of poetry that ends in punctuation. Example:

As if your cancer weren't enough,

the guinea pig is dying.

Enjambment – A line of poetry that runs over into the next line. Example:

The kids brought him to me

wrapped in a bath towel

In these examples (from Guinea Pig by Julie Cadwallader-Staub), the poet uses end-stops in the first two lines for dramatic effect, then enjambs the next two lines to give the poem momentum.

Stanza – A grouping of lines in a poem; basically, this is the poetry equivalent of a paragraph. Types of stanzas: a couplet has two lines; a tercet has three lines; a quatrain has four lines; a quintet has five lines; a sestet has six lines; a septet has seven lines; an octave has eight lines; after that, my friends, you’re on your own.

Alliteration – Generally, this means the repetition of consonant sounds. Technically, though, it means the repetition of the initial letter or sound, while consonance means the general repetition of consonant sounds. Usually, to keep things simple, I use them interchangeably.

Having some basic understanding of consonant sounds is important. For example, “S,” “L” and “M” sounds invoke a flowing, watery feeling (“smooth,” “slither,” “liquid”) whereas “B” and “K” sounds tend to have a harder, more staccato feel (“grate,” “cat,” “cacophony,” etc). Whenever possible, you choose your words and sounds based on the overall feeling you want the reader to have.

Assonance – The repetition of vowel sounds. Again, think about sound frequencies. Words that make use of lower vowel frequencies (“bone,” “gloom,” “brood,” etc) tend to create a deep, rumbling, ominous feeling, whereas words that make use of higher vowel frequencies (“light,” “might”) —can create a lofty or energetic feeling. Middle frequency words like “apple” and “braid” tend to be neutral. Note: obviously, the use and context of the word creates plenty of exceptions to these rules. This is just something to plant in the back of your mind and/or bear in mind while revising.

Personification – Giving human qualities to a non-human thing (an animal, a chair, a mirror, etc).

Meter and Form

I don’t do much with this since the past hundred years have trended towards free verse, but…

Iamb – (u/), or an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Adjective form: iambic.

Trochee – (/u), or a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. Adjective: trochaic.

Anapest – (uu/), or two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. Adjective: anapestic.

Dactyl – (/uu), or a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. Adjective: dactylic.

Spondee – (//), or two stressed syllables in a row. Adjective: spondaic (//).

Pyrrhic – (uu), or two unstressed syllables in a row. Same word in both noun and adjective form.
 
Rhyme – If you don’t already know what this is, there’s no hope for you.

End rhyme – Rhyming the words at the end (duh!) of lines.

Internal rhyme – Rhyming other than the first or last words of lines.

Masculine rhyme – When one syllable or a word rhymes with another word (“hat” and “bat”, “grave” and “brave,” etc).
 
Feminine rhyme – Also known as “double rhyme,” this is a form of rhyme that matches two or more syllables (“fashion” and “passion,” “painted and “acquainted,” “lawful” and “awful,” etc).

Triple rhyme – Yup, you guessed it: rhyme that matches three syllables (“victorious” and “glorious,” “mystery” and “history,” etc).

Eye rhyme – This refers to words that don’t actually rhyme but look (hence, the name) like they should (ex. “love” and “move”).

Near rhyme (aka “slant rhyme,” “half rhyme”) – Words that somewhat rhyme, but not quite (“breath” and “deaf,” “ill” and “shell,” etc).

There are about a zillion other poetic and literary terms. As always, knowing what something is called isn’t nearly as important as using it "correctly."