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"Formal" poetic forms are simply patterns of stanzas,
syllables, meter and rhyme, and though these patterns that have become popular over the
years (or even centuries), they are not the only ones available to a poet.
As long as you stay consistent in your stanzas,
stressed and unstressed syllables, meter and rhyming schemes, chances are your poem will flow well and be
interesting.
Classic poetry can take any number of forms, each having
guidelines, some of which are more stringent than others. Jack has always said that you
should know the rules before you purposely break them. Also, it is their
guidelines that makes them different from other forms. A sonnet, for
example, will always have fourteen lines, though they can be arranged in a
number of ways. If you call a poem a sonnet that has nine lines, you've
defeated the purpose of the label.
Starting with Jack's second book, he began describing the
various poetic forms he has been deploying, and thought that he would
expand this into a resource for novice and experienced poets alike.
He has researched many sites that report to be expert in poem guidelines,
and sometimes had to select what he feels poets are actually
using to satisfy contradictions. Therefore, these guides explain
Jack's view
of proper formats.
Jack has begun using Associated Content in which to publish articles and
discussions. He'll be adding new form descriptions often, so if you come across a new
format you'd like him to discuss, just drop a note to
jack@jackhuber.com.
Throughout these discussions:
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Meter is the pattern of syllables used in poetry, including
the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line, and the
sequences that are used in multiple lines. For notation's sake, I use a dash
for unstressed syllables ( - ) and a carat for emphasized ones ( ^ ). So, “ - ^
- “ means, ” dah-DUM-dah,” like "consider" or "in fashion."
The number of syllables in a line can also be very important. For a
complete discussion, see "Poetic
Meter."
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In rhyming pattern notation,
the alphabet is used to designate the rhyme partnerships. For
instance, lines ending in a sound designated by
“a” only rhyme with other “a” lines, “b” lines only with other “b” lines,
and so on. A great example is the Spenserian sonnet, which uses a rhyming scheme of:
"a-b-a-b ... b-c-b-c ... c-d-c-d ...
e-e."
The " ... " designates a stanza break.
- Various poetic forms are listed in the menu on the left.
They are linked to the appropriate Associated Content articles. Please feel free to
leave a comment or two!
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