Genre Studies -- Unit- 3 notes

 

Genre Studies

Unit-3

1. ALIENATION

·         Alienation effect, also called a-effect (or) distancing effect or estrangement effect, German Verfermdungseffekt (or) V-effect, idea central to the dramatic theory of the German dramatist-director Bertolt Brecht.

·         Brecht adapted the Russian formalist concept of “defamiliarization” which is also called “alienation effect”.

·         It involves the use of techniques designed to distance the audience from emotion involvement in the play through jolting reminders of the artificiality of the theatrical performance. 

·         “Alienation effect” means that the familiar contents are presented in an unfamiliar way to get a new effect so that the audience does not empathize with the story of a drama, and can think profoundly about the drama. From the drama to the cinema, the theory of “alienation effect” is also suitable for interpreting the text.

·         Brecht first used the term in an essay on “Alienation Effects in Chinese Acting” published in 1936.

2. ANTAGONIST

·         Antagonist word made from Greek word “Antagonistes” which means opponent, competitor or rival.

·         The major character in opposition to the hero or protagonist of a drama.

·         It is common to refer to an antagonist as a villain, against whom a hero fights in order to save himself or others.

·         In some cases, an antagonist may exist within the protagonist that causes an inner conflict or a moral conflict inside the mind. The inner conflict is a major theme of many literary works, such as

1.      Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe

2.      Hamlet by William Shakespeare

3.      A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

·         Generally, an antagonist appears as a foil to the main character, embodying qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of the main character. Example: Othello by William Shakespeare.

·         The character of Iago in Shakespeare’s “Othello” is an example of an antagonist.

·         Iago stands as one of the most notorious villains of all time, having spent all of his time plotting against Othello, the protagonist, and his wife Desdemona. Through his evil schemes, Iago convinces Othello that his wife has been cheating on him, and even convinces him to kill his own wife despite her being faithful to him. The thing that separates Iago from other antagonists is that we do not really know why he wants to destroy Othello.

FUNCTIONS OF ANTAGONIST:

·         Conflict is a basic element of any plot

·         The presence of antagonist alongside a protagonist is vital for the typical formula of a plot.

·         The antagonist opposes the protagonist in his endeavors, and thus the conflict ensues (result).

·         The protagonist struggles against the antagonist, taking the plot to a climax.

·         The conflict is resolved with the defeat of the antagonist (or) as in tragedies, with the downfall of the protagonist.

 3. BYRONIC HERO

A Byronic hero is a fictional character. They are someone who exhibits a specific set of characteristics that make their life similar to that of Byron’s best-known protagonists, and Byron himself.

·         Found in several of the works of Lord Byron.

·         Like Byron himself, a Byronic hero is a melancholy and rebellious young man, distressed by a terrible wrong he committed in the past.

·         Byronic Hero was first developed by the famous 19th century English Romantic poet Lord Byron.

·         The first literary Byronic hero to be Byron’s Childe Harold, the protagonist of Byron’s epic poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.

CHARACTERISTICS 

A Byronic hero is characterized by several traits 

·         Intelligence: A Byronic hero is intelligent and cunning, often using his superior wits to solve problems.

 

·         Self-awareness: A Byronic hero is also keenly aware of his own situation. This may in fault be the source of some of his melancholy. A Byronic hero may experience self-doubt and may not see himself as a hero in the traditional sense.

 

·         Arrogance: Despite doubt and self-awareness, a Byronic hero also exhibits arrogance in his missions. He has faith in his skills and tends to believe himself to be best suited for the job.

·         Violence: While a Byronic hero will use his wits, he is also not averse to violence when needed.

·         Recklessness: Due to his arrogance and skill in various areas, a Byronic hero tends to be reckless in his approach to problems. Even if he is successful, his recklessness is dangerous.

 

EXAMPLES

In "Jane Eyre" (1847), Mr. Rochester is a pessimistic, arrogant man but he is also intelligent and sophisticated. As Jane Eyre and he get closer, Mr. Rochester's cruelty and hostility fade away and he is portrayed as a good gentleman who has been in great distress due to his previous mistakes. However, Mr. Rochester keeps his previous wife Bertha confined in an upstairs room and hides the truth from Jane Eyre. Although his motives are selfish and allow him to fulfil his desires, he cares for Bertha and wishes to save her from being sent to an asylum and keep it secret to avoid Jane from getting hurt and leaving him. This blend of heroic and villainous qualities is precisely what makes Mr. Rochester a Byronic Hero.

 

4. EPIPHANY

·         Epiphany means "a manifestation" or "showing forth" and by Christian thinkers was used to signify a manifestation of God's presents within the created world.

 

·         A character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story.

 

·         Epiphany is a literary term which means exploring moments of sudden realization or self-discovery in literary works.

 

·         Epiphany is when a character experience a moment of realization that is triggered by a particular person or situation. In other words, it is a moment of clarity for the character which changes his understanding.

 

·         The term "Epiphany" comes from Greek word Epiphaneia which means "to manifest" or "show".

 

·         This term came into popularity as a literary device through the works of James Joyce. He links the concept of epiphany to the Christian understanding of the term which means the manifestation or very close experience of the Divine and he adopted it into early version of a "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man".

 

·         Joyce experimented with epiphany throughout his career right from his early work to his late novel, " Finnegans Wake".

 

·         Epiphany is a psychological or emotional realization that often leads to a significant change in the character's perspective, beliefs or behaviour.

 

·         Epiphanies are moments of personal growth or enlightenment for the character and can occur at various points throughout the story.

 

·         We can see the traces of epiphany in William Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The central character Hamlet is on a ship sailing to England. Suddenly he experiences of flash of realization and he says,

 

"There is a divinity that shapes our ends,

Rough-hew them how we will."

·         He realizes that there is no wisdom in taking revenge on his uncle Claudins. Until this point he was plotting a revenge for the person who killed his father, but now, he realizes that only divine power can shape our ends.

·         Epiphany can occur in various genres of literature.

·         Tragedy

·         Comedy

·         Dramatic works

·         Philosophical or Psychological

1.      Tragedy - leads to a realization of their flaws. The consequences of their actions or the inevitability of their fate.

These revelations can intensify the emotional impact of the tragedy and contribute to the downfall of the characters.

For instance, William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

 

2.      Comedy – leads to a positive transformation reunion or the resolution of conflicts. This realization can bring about comic misunderstandings or humorous situations.

 

E.g: Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

 

3.      Dramatic works – Characters can experience epiphanies that lead to profound emotional connections. The resolution of personal conflict or pursuit of truth and justice.

 

E.g: Willie Loman from “Death of a Salesman”

 

4.      Philosophical/Psychological works – It may heavily rely on epiphanies to explore existential questions, inner turmoil or the nature of human consciousness.

 

E.g: “The Stranger” (novel) by Albert Camus.

 

 

5. HAMARTIA

 

·         This word is first used by Aristotle in his work "Poetics". Aristotle described Hamartia is an error of judgement or a mistake that was made by a character in a theatrical tragedy.

 

·         By Aristotle's definition, the Hamartia, or mistake, could have been the result by any character. Often the character was ignorant of the eventual outcome of the decision.

 

What are the other interpretations of the word?

 

1.      The fatal flaw present in a tragic hero.

 

2.      Tragic flaw - psychological or behavioral

 

3.      Translation of the Bible into Greek

 

·         Technical translation of Hamartia in the strict and properly limited sense, the fact that it has not been adopted, and it is far more commonly used for a characteristics moral failing in an otherwise predominantly good one.

 

·         Hamartia is an error which is derived from ignorance of some material fact or circumstances.

 

·         The theory of the 'Tragic Flaw' a theory which appears at first site, to be a most convenient device for analysing tragedy but which leads the unfortunate user of into a quick sand of absurdities in which he rapidly sinks, dragging the tragedies down with him.

 

·         Aristotelian sense of the term is a "mistake or error of judgement", and the dead done in consequence of it is an erratum.

 

·         The meaning of the Greek word is closer to "mistake" than to "flaw", "a wrong step blindly taken", "the missing of mark", and it is best interpretation in the context of what Aristotle has to say about plot and "the law of probability or necessity".

 

·         In the ideal tragedy, claims Aristotle, the protagonist will mistakenly bring about his downfall - not because he is sinful or morally weak, but because he does not know enough.

 

·         The role of Hamartia in tragedy comes not inevitably of its consequences.

 

·         Two of the best examples of Hamartia or fatal flaw, in a character come from two of Shakespeare's best-known tragedies.

 

·         Othello was a jealous and proud man and Iago was able to exploit these traits until they eventually brought his downfall.

 

·         Macbeth was an overly ambitious man who used murder to achieve his success and was alternately haunted by his actions.

 

·         An example from an ancient Greek play is Oedipus, he had a remarkably short fuse and made very hasty decisions when he was angry this angry. This anger, like Hamartia of the other characters mentioned, led to his downfall.

 

6. ALLEGORY

An allegory is a simple story in which a writer tries to convey hidden or complex meaning through symbolic figures, actions, imagery or events which together create the moral, spiritual, or political meaning.

 

An allegory is a tale consisting of a series of incidents analogous to another series or incidents, which it is intended to illustrate. The object of such a tale is to exemplify and enforce some moral truth as in Bunyan’s “The Pilgrimage Progress”, Ralph Hodgson’s “The Bull”.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

 

1.      Multiple meanings – Literal story presented in the words and the figurative story depicted in the way the writer intends readers to interpret.

 

2.      Polarizing Relationship – Oppositional views between characters or objects in the story.

 

3.      Object Personification – To give human qualities to objects or animals

 

4.      Author’s Values – Political or moral values of the writer

 

FUNCTIONS

 

·         Allow the authors to represent a moral through their writing

 

·         Makes each character multi-dimensional and more meaningful

 

·         An allegorical writing represents the writer’s mind as how he thinks and views the world.

 

TYPES OF ALLEGORY

 

1.      Biblical Allegory

 

2.      Classical Allegory

 

3.      Medieval Allegory

 

4.      Modern Allegory

 

7. ALLUSION

 

                Allusion -An implicit or indirect reference to another work of literature, historical or mythical or event.

 

Example;

 

            Not half so fixed the Trojan could remain,

 

            While Anna begged and Dido raged in vain

 

                                                                        (Pope -The Rape of the Lock)

 

Here is an allusion to the dilemma of Aeneas, the hero of Virgil’s “Aeneid”. Aeneas falls in love with Dido, the queen of Carthage. Dido implores Aeneas to marry her and get settled permanently in Carthage. Aeneas was in dilemma. He had a noble duty to find out new territory for the Trojans. But he was also deeply in love with Dido. He was torn between love and duty. However, he finally decides to continue his voyage in search of a permanent empire for the Trojans. This dilemma of Aeneas has been recalled here to suggest the intensity of Belinda crisis.

 

More example:

 

1.      “ The winged boy I knew;

 

But who wast thou, O happy, happy dove?

 

                                                (Keats:”Ode to Byche”)

 

The “winged boy” is an allusion to cupid, the god of love.

 

2.      “Perhaps the selfsame song that found a path

 

Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home’s

 

She stood in tears amid the alien corn;

 

                                                (Keats:”Ode to a nightingale)

 

These lines allude to the suffering of Ruth, a character of the Old testament

 

3.      Here is another example:

 

‘Imagine with thy self, courteous

 

Reader, how often I the wished for the Tongue of Demasthenes or Cicero,

 

That might have enabled me to

 

Celebrate the praise of my own dear native country in style equal to its Merits and Felicity.

(Swift: Gulliver’s Travels, Part III

 

           The allusion in these lines is to the power of eloquence of demosthers and cilero.

 

 An allusion, which clarifies meanings and suggests a lot in a few words, may make a literacy work difficult but it enriches its literary quality.

 

8. AMBIGUITY

 

                When a word, sentence or phrase have more meanings or is called misinterpretations is called Ambiguity.

 

TYPES:

 

                There are two main types of Ambiguity

 

·         Structural Ambiguity

 

·         Lexical Ambiguity

 

STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY:

 

                Structural Ambiguity arises when a sentence has more than one meaning due to the way words are arranged in that sentence.

 

                Structural Ambiguity also called syntactic or grammatical Ambiguity.

 

EXAMPLE:

 

·         The boy saw the man with telescope.

 

·         Her parents watered the flowers yet they died.

 

LEXICAL AMBIGUITY:

 

                When in a sentence at least one word has multiple meanings, it creates lexical Ambiguity.

 

EXMLPLE:

 

·         She is looking for a match

 

·         I saw bats.

 

DEFINITION IN “A GLOSSARY OF LITRRARY TERMS”

 

The use of single word or expression to signify two or more distinct reference or to express two or more diverse attitudes or feelings.

 

WILLIAM EMPSON “SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY”

 

         i.            METAPHOR:

 

When two things are said to be alike which have different properties. This one concept is similar to metaphysical conceit.

 

       ii.            OPPOSITE MAKING / PRODUCING A NEW IDEA:

 

It is also known as paradox.

 

                E.g.: i) “This is the begging of the end”

 

                     ii)” Save money by spending it”

 

      iii.            PUN (Word Play)

 

Playing with the meanings of the words (with the words having multiple meanings)

 

Basically making of funny statements using words humorously.

 

E.g.: A leopard does not change its spot ( Spot have two meaning one is living place another one is spot in its body.)

 

     iv.            MOODS PRODUCING ABSTRACT THOUGHT:

 

It is also known as Freudian slip (Uninternationl errors revealing subconscious feeling)

 

E.g: A child calls his/her teacher as “mom” accidently.

 

( In this situation, the audience or the readers finds a scope for a psycho analytic interpretations or multiple interpretations will come out.)

 

       v.            UNFORTUNATE CONFUSION:

 

Words producing a concrete thought.

 

E.g:

 

Speaker 1: What are you doing?

 

Speaker 2: I am lying on bed.

 

Here, the Speaker 1 may produce an image instantly as how “Speaker2” is lying (like a dog, like a cow). These things come to the mind instantly and automatically.

 

     vi.            FILL IT IN:

 

When the statement says nothing or incomplete and the readers are forced to invest a statement of their own.

 

    vii.            BINARY OPPPOSITIONS:

 

When we think of one idea or concept its opposite comes to our mind abruptly.

 

E.g.: Day – night / dark – bright / black – white (Exposing the fundamental divisions.)

 

 Free Verse (20th Century)

 

·         Free from limitations of regular meter and rhythm, does not rhyme with fixed forms.

 

·         Do not follow rhyme scheme rules. Do not have any set of rules.

 

·         There will be simile, personification, metaphor, onomatopoeia, assonance etc.

 

·         Poem Lines from T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock”

 

“Let us go then, You and I,

 

When the evening is spread out against the sky”

 

·         Popular poets used this type of verse are, Ezra Pound, D.H. Lawrence and Walt Whitman (father of Free verse)

 

 

9. Free Verse

 

Definition

 

            Free Verse is also known as “vers libre” is modern literary device adopted by 19th and 20th century poets. It is called “free verse” because here the poets are free to use the words as they like. They are not bound by any fixed norms of writing poetry. Robert Frost once commented that writing free verse was like “Playing tennis without a net”.

 

            Walt Whitman, an American poet is considered as the Father of Free Verse in English Poetry. He published ‘Leaves of Grass’ in 1855 which contained free verse poetry. In traditional poetry, the poets used to make use of various meters and rhyming patterns in order to bring rhythm and melody in poetry. But 19th century onwards, the modern poets started using free verse in their poetry.

 

Traditional Poetry

 

“Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more.

 

Men were deceivers ever,

 

One foot in sea, and one on shore,

 

To one thing constant never.”

 

Modern Poetry

 

“A touch of cold in the Autumn night-

 

I walked abroad,

 

And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge

 

Like a red-faced farmer...”

 

Features

 

·         No regular meter

 

·         No rhyming pattern

 

·         Use of natural rhythmic words and phrases

 

Examples

 

Carl Sandburg’s poem ‘Fog’

 

“The fog comes

 

On little cat feet.

 

It sits looking

 

Over harbour and city

 

On silent haunches

 

And then moves on.”

 

Major Exponents

 

Walt Whitman, T.E. Hulme, f.S. Flint, Sylvia Plath, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound etc.

 

10. BLANK VERSE:

 

Define

 

            “Blank Verse” is a literary term that refers to poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter. “Iambic pentameter” refers to the meter of the poetic lines: a line of poetry written this way is composed of five “iambs”: group of two syllables that full into an 1 unstressed and 1 stressed pattern.

 

 

            Blank Verse consists of Iambic Pentameter (five- stress iambic verse) which are unrhymed – hence the term “blank”. Of all English metrical forms it is closest to the natural rhythms of English speech, yet flexible and adaptive to diverse levels of discourse; as a result it has been more frequently and variously used than any other form of versification. It was introduced by the Earl of Surrey in his translations of Book 2 and 4 of Virgil’s The Aeneid (about 1540), it became the standard meter for Elizabethan and later poetic drama; a free form of  blank verse remained the medium in such 20th Century verse play.   

 

They strictly use meter and rhythm in their poetical lines. But, not rhythm scheme.

 

E.g.: Paradise lost by John Milton, Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.

 

It is used to write epic poetry, dramatic monologue, descriptive, reflective and narrative poetry.

 

11. CATASTROPHE

 

                Catastrophe is a final resolution that appears in a narrative plot or a long poem

 

                It unravels the mystery or intrigue, and brings the story towards a logical end.

 

                In a tragedy, it could be the depth of a protagonist or other character and in a comedy; it could be the union of major characters.

 

                Catastrophe is a synonym of denouement. It is, in fact, the final part following protasis, epitasis and catasis.

 

TYPES:

 

SIMPLE CATASTROPHE:

 

                In the simple catastrophe, the main characters do not undergo any change, nor does anything unravel; the plot merely serves as a passage. Simple catastrophe usually appears in epic poems rather than in tragedies.

 

COMPLEX CATASTROPHE:

 

                Complex catastrophe is a very common tool, in which the protagonist either undergoes a major change or fortune. This type of change is probable and necessary to resolving the plot. Complex catastrophe usually appears in Novels, plays , movies and theatrical performances.

 

EXAMPLE:

 

ROMEO JULIET (by William Shakespeare)

 

                There are multiple characters who invited catastrophe in the play “Romeo and Juliet”. However Romeo himself was invited the worst type of catastrophe after he kills tybalt. Everything in his and Juliet life crumbles after that; as a result, Romeo faces a period of exile, leading to a number of other catastrophic events.  Had Romeo not killed Tybalt, Friar would have provided a much better plan to hide Juliet, rather than using poison.

 

                The best scene of catastrophe happens in Act V – scene III in which the full of Paris and two lovers occurs.  After the tragic conclusion of the love scene, friar tells about the marriage and intrigue. The love ends with the star crossed lovers.

 

FUNCTION:

 

                The function of a catastrophe is to unravel the plot in the story. It comes after the falling action. It, In fact, serves as a conclusion of the narrative, when the conflict in the story in question is resolved.

 

Catastrophe returns the situation to normal, as the characters experience catharsis and the readers feel  a sense of relief catastrophe is also a moment when the protagonist faces the world with a new outlook. It testes human qualities and makes readers decide if the characters is good or bad.

 

12. Confessional Poetry

 

            Confessional Poetry is the poetry of the personal (or) “I”. This style of writing emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is associated with poets such as Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton. Lowell’s “Life studies”, was a highly personal account of his life and familial ties and had a significant impact on American poetry. Plath and Sexton were both students of  Lowell and noted that his work influenced their own writing.

 

            The Confessional Poetry of the mid 2oth Century dealt with subject matter that previously had not been openly discussed in American poetry. Private experiences and feelings about death, trauma, depression, and relationships were addressed in this type of poetry, often in an autobiographical manner. Sexton, in particular, was interested in the psychological aspects of poetry, having started writing at the suggestion of her therapist.

 

            The Confessional Poets were not merely recording their emotions on paper; craft and construction were extremely important to their work. While their treatment of the poetic self may have been ground breaking and shocking to some readers, these poets maintained a high level of craftsmanship through their careful attention and use of prosody.

 

            One of the most well-known poems by a confessional poet is “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath. Addressed to her father, the poem contains references to the Holocaust but uses a sing-song rhythm that echoes the nursery rhymes of childhood.

 

“Daddy, I have had to kill you.

 

You died before I had time-

 

Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,

 

Ghostly statue with one gray toe

 

Big as a Frisco seal.”

 

            The Confessional Poets of the 1950’s and 1960’s pioneered a type of writing that forever changed the landscape of American poetry. The tradition of Confessional poetry has been a major influenced on generations of writers and continues on this day.

 

Confessional Poets and Works

 

·         Robert Lowell’s “Life Studies”

 

·         Sylvia Plath’s “Colossus”, “Ariel”

 

·         Anne Sexton “ Live or Die”

 

·         D. Snodgrass “Heart’s Needle”

 

·         John Berryman “The Dream Song”

 

13. CYBERPUNK

Introduction

            Cyberpunk was coined by author Bruce Bethke. This term is introduced in the early 1980’s. It is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus  on a “combination of lowlife and high-tech” featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics, can lead to societal collapse, dystopia or decay.

Leading figures

1.       William Gibson

2.      Lewis Shiner

3.      Bruce Sterling

4.      Pat Cadagan

5.      Rudy Rucker

Characteristics features

·         In Cyberpunk stories punk fight with the oppressors.

·         Dystopian city setting where mega-corporations rule.

·         Full integration of technology into society, featuring cybernetic implants.

·         In classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners.

Examples

Classic movie Terminator by James Cameron, Gibson’s 1980’s fiction like Neuromancer, Monalisa Overdrive, Count zero, Burning Chrome.

 

14. DENOUEMENT

            Denouement is derived from French word ‘Denouer’ meaning ‘to untie’. It is a final resolution of a plot, as of a drama or novel. It is the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences. The denouement is the very end of the story, the part where all the different plotlines are finally tied up and all remaining questions answered. It happens right after the climax, the most exciting point in the story, and it shows the aftermath of that climax. The denouement is usually the very last thing that audience sees, so it has to be well-written or the story will seem unsatisfying.

Examples

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Heath cliff fulfils his goal of being master of both estates

 

15. Catharsis

The term “Catharsis” was introduced by Aristotle. . It is an element of Tragedy. He coined the term “Catharsis”- which comes from the Greek “Kathairein” meaning “to cleanse or purge”- to describe the release of emotional tension that he believed spectators experienced while watching dramatic tragedy. It means Purgation of emotions. Purgation means “Purification”. It is related to pity and fear. Aristotle says that pity and fear are the two emotions which arouse tragic feeling in human. He further says that tragedy should end on a point where the audiences or the readers get a satisfying calm of the mind after suffering from intense emotion of fear, pity etc. According to him, it is the aim of tragedy to provide an outlet for human emotions. In literature, it is used for the cleansing of emotional rejuvenation of a person.

Originally, the term was used as a metaphor in “Poetics” by Aristotle, to explain the impact of tragedy on the audiences. He believed that Catharsis was the ultimate end of a tragic artistic work, and that it marked its quality.    

Though this term appears only once in Aristotle’s Poetics and without any definite meaning or explanation, but it has still been one of the most popular and sought after concept among scholars. Though critics have differed in their interpretation of this term, however, they have agreed upon the fact that tragedy arouses ‘pity’ and ‘fear’ which lead to ‘tragic pleasure’.

Example of Catharsis

Macbeth (by William Shakespeare)

The audience and the readers of Macbeth usually pity the tragic central figure of the Play because he was blinded by his destructive preoccupation with ambition.

In Act 1, he is made the thane of Cawdor by King Duncan, which makes him a prodigy, well regarded for his valor and talent. However, the era of his doom starts when he, like most people, gets carried away by ambition and the supernatural world as well. Subsequently, he loses his wife, his veracity, and eventually his life. Watching and reading such a scene triggers the memories of someone we have lost (either by death or by mere separation), and because we are able to relate to it, we suddenly release the emotions that we have been repressing.

 

Free Verse Vs Blank Verse

 

            Blank Verse and free verse are two important and most common mediums of expression in poetry. Blank verse is written in regular metrical but unrhymed lines. Poetry of Free verse has no rhyme or rhythm. The main difference between blank verse and free verse has no metrical patterns, rhyme or any other musical pattern whereas blank verse is written in regular metrical patterns.

 

Blank verse

 

·         It is written in Iambic pentameter lines.

 

·         But there is no rhyming if you examine the last words of each line.

 

·         All lines have ten syllable is unstressed and the second one is stressed.

 

·         It has a rising rhythm.

 

·         Most poets of English literature have used blank verse, but Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey is said to have used this blank verse first in his lyrics during 16th Century.

 

·         Later Shakespeare, Spenser, Sidney, Milton, Marlowe, John Donne, keats and others used in their poetry. 

 

Free Verse

 

·         No use of consistent meter, rhyme or any other pattern.

 

·         Though there is no meter, it follows the natural rhythm of speech.

 

·         It gives a greater freedom of poets to choose words without bothering about the rhyme and rhythm.

 

·         It is commonly used in contemporary modern poetry.

 

·         The exponents of free verse are Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, John Ashbury, etc.