Ms. Kittelson 2009-2010
	Meter and Prosody in Literature
	INTRODUCTION Everything contains rhythm, and literature is no exception. Novice writers may write with little conscious awareness of their own personal rhythm, but experienced writers of every genre and form know full well what rhythms they apply to their work. Whether you are reading and/or writing verse, poetry, prose or text messages, it would behoove you to listen to and analyze the rhythms therein. The rhythm of a piece affects its tone, mood and more. The rhythm, or meter, also affords the author a certain amount of credibility in that in order for that writer to have his or her work revered and/or published, he must demonstrate an awareness of the rules. Here are some common meters with examples to demonstrate their effect. Iambic Pentameter: An iamb is a two-syllable chunk, or foot, whereby the second syllable is stressed. A pentameter is a meter of five feet. Shakespeare, as did others of his time, wrote much of his work in iambic pentameter. "To BE or NOT to BE that IS the QUESTion..." (Hamlet Act III, Scene I) The rhythm, broken down, is: da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM. Now, while the meter is intended to be only subtly present when read aloud or staged, it is not sublte when the author is writing it. The writer must be very cognizant of his methods. Here are some additional meters and accompanying literary examples for your perusal: Iambic Tetrameter: An iamb is a two-syllable chunk, or foot, whereby the second syllable is stressed. A tetrameter is a meter of four. "Because I could not stop for death." - Emily Dickinson The rhythm broken down is da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM. Anapestic Tetrameter: An anapaest is a three-syllable chunk, or foot, whereby the third syllable is stressed. A tetrameter is a meter of four. "And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea." - Lord Byron Dr. Seuss wrote much of his work in anapestic tetrameter. See Yertle the Turtle... "And today the Great Yertle, the Marvelous he Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see..." The rhythm broken down is da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM
				In addition to anapestic tetrameter, Dr. Seuss also used amphibrachic tetrameter. See If I Ran the Circus. Amphibrachic Tetrameter: An amphibrach is a three-syllable foot whereby the stress is on the second syllable. Tetrameter is a meter of four feet. "All ready to put up the tents for my circus I think I will call it the Circus McGurkus. "And now comes an act of enormous enormance! No former performer performed this performance!" - Dr. Seuss The rhythm is thus: da-DUM-da, da-DUM-da,da-DUM-da, da-DUM. Trochaic Tetrameter: A trochee is a two-syllable foot whereby the first syllable is stressed. A tetrameter is a meter of four. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. The rhythm is thus: DUM-da, DUM-da,DUM-da DUM. Verse, Poetry AND Prose While authors of Old and Middle English verse were highly sensitive to meter. The more contemporary writers of poetry and narrative prose have been afforded more freedom. They may adhere to one particular meter or not, depending on their purpose, their audience and additional considerations.
					SOME TERMS TO KNOW meter prosody scansion verse poetry prose iamb trochee spondee anapaest dactyl double-dactyl pyrrhic amphibrach foot monometer dimeter trimeter tetrameter pentameter hexameter heptameter octameter couplet caesura And of course the different poetic forms: epic, lyric, sonnet, cinquain, Limerick, etc... For more info on meter, click here. For more info on poetry, click here. For poems by your favorite authors, click here.