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Blank Verse - April - National Poetry Month
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Blank Verse - April - National Poetry Month |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA 
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First, I have to apologize for being so elusive here... I'm working far too many hours a day, and will be for the next 8 weeks... except for the week I'll be hanging out in the Florida Sunshine...  That's part of the reason I chose Blank Verse for this month. It's easy to explain - easy to critique - and might just be possible for me to handle...  There's only one rule to writing Blank Verse, folks. You have to write in Iambic Pentameter. That means that your meter has to consist of five metered feet in each line, and they have to have a short/long syllabic pattern. Check out my signature for an example. I wrote SERENDIPITY in Iambic Pentameter... I did, however, rhyme each line. Blank Verse is inherently UNRHYMED... em/BRACE-the/WAVE-of/SER-en/DEP-i/TY SO - Write something in UNRHYMED IAMBIC PENTAMETER and you'll have mastered BLANK VERSE... I might even have time to so one of of my own here... sitting on the beach... Waft every crest upon your destined sea Embrace the Wave of Serendipity Lest its elusive arcane ecstasy Refurl with sail for all eternity Nancy |
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Kethry Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-29
Posts 9082Victoria Australia |
Nan, I'm in but you already knew that , if you knew how hard iambic pentameter was for me you wouldn't ask it and then to add in no rhymes...you are too cruel. I may need a holiday after this myself. I wonder where I can find a nice rubber room. Kethry Those of us who refuse to risk and grow get swallowed up by life. Patty Hansen. |
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Justin Thyme Member
since 1999-09-13
Posts 216Oz |
You know that I can always write Iambic anything But Justin Kace you think I might Do any blank verse thing I really hate to set you straight Not likely happening I need my rhyme I'm Justin Thyme I meter everything... |
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holatuwol Member
since 2001-04-27
Posts 72California, USA |
Heyhi! I'm a newbie in this place (wow, this place is huge! And I'm a poetry addict, so I could come to like this place! *_*), and I reached this thread and I sorta-kinda have a question that I was wondering might be answered if anyone has the time. ^^ Sure, it could be answered in the Question and Answer forum, but since it has to do a little bit with poetry, and since this thread brought up the question, I thought this would be the more appropriate place to ask. ^^ According to the thread, it says that blank verse uses iambic pentameter... my question is that I've seen a lot of poems which are written which are 10 syllables long and call themselves iambic pentameter. Is it true that as long as you have ten syllables, it could be iambic pentameter if you give all of the syllables the appropriate stress when reading aloud? Or is it relatively more stringent? ^^ There are words in the English language which have natural stress and would be read more naturally, giving the same stress as iambic pentameter naturally. Does the stress have to occur naturally, meaning the words have to be appropriately chosen so that stress falls naturally on those syllables, or can you just read it funny and call it iambic pentameter? ^^ It's a strange question, but it's one that was kinda bothering me. ^_^ If anyone has the time, I'd greatly appreciate a response! hehe! And now I'm off to stalk the archives... *_* I can grow to love this place, yesh. - holatuwol |
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Munda Member Elite
since 1999-10-08
Posts 3544The Hague, The Netherlands |
Since I have little time at the moment I quickly copied this for you from "GLOSSARY OF POETIC TERMS". http://shoga.wwa.com/~rgs/glossary.html IAMB (EYE-am) or IAMBUS, IAMBIC - The most common metrical foot in English German and Russian verse, and many other languages as well; it consists of two syllables, a short or unaccented syllable followed by a long or accented syllable, as in avoid or the rush, or from the opening line of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale: PENTAMETER (pen-TAM-uh-tur) - A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet. Iambic pentameter is supposed to read like da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM-da-DUM and is not supposed to sound "forced". I'm sure Nan can explain this a lot better than I, but she's kind of busy these days. I'll get back to you later when I have a little more time. Hope this helps a little.  Munda |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Busy??? Moi??? I'm only working 12-13 hours a day on weekdays... and Saturday morning... Then of course there's my 98 yr old grandmother and my mother (having an operation this week) who'll be using up the rest of my "free" time for the next few weeks.... Thanks, Munda - You did a good job on this one... Yo - hola - If you want to join the workshop, let me know - I'll approve you for posting... |
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Munda Member Elite
since 1999-10-08
Posts 3544The Hague, The Netherlands |
Hi again holatuwol... I have a little more time now and thought you may like a bit longer answer on this part of your question: "Or is it relatively more stringent? ^^ There are words in the English language which have natural stress and would be read more naturally, giving the same stress as iambic pentameter naturally. Does the stress have to occur naturally, meaning the words have to be propriately chosen so that stress falls naturally on those syllables, or can you just read it funny and call it iambic pentameter? ^^" As far as I understand "iambic" the words must be propriately chosen so the stress falls naturally on those syllables, otherwise you'll get what's called "forced". As you may have noticed we're in the middle of a workshop with iambic pentameter. Please feel free to walk around here. You may find the workshops on sonnets interesting too. Those are all written in iambic pentameter. Lots to discover in the Poetry Workshop and please join in any time! [This message has been edited by Munda (edited 04-29-2001).] |
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