R and M and Fixed Form Poetry defined, feedback accepted here Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

From Bob's Byway:

RHYME - The "R" in R & M...

In the specific sense, a type of echoing (the repetition of particular sounds, syllables, words or lines in poetry)  which utilizes a correspondence of sound in the final accented vowels.

In a broader poetic sense, however, rhyme refers to a close similarity of sound as well as an exact correspondence; it includes the agreement of vowel sounds in assonance and the repetition of consonant sounds in consonance and alliteration. Usually, but not always, rhymes occur at the ends of lines.

Sidelight: Differences as well as identity in sound echoes between words contribute to the euphonic effect, stimulate intellectual appreciation, and serve to unify a poem. In addition, rhymes tend to heighten the significance of the words, provide a powerful mnemonic device, and complement the rhythmic quality of the lines.

Sidelight: Terms like near rhyme, half rhyme, and perfect rhyme function to distinguish between the types of rhyme without prejudicial intent and should not be interpreted as expressions of value.

Sidelight: Early examples of English poetry used alliterative verse instead of rhyme. The use of rhyme in the end words of verse originally arose to compensate for the sometimes unsatisfactory quality of rhythm within the lines; variations in the patterns of rhyme schemes then became functional in defining diverse stanza forms, such as, ottava rima, rhyme royal, terza rima, the Spenserian stanza, and others. Rhyme schemes are also significant factors in the definitions of whole poems, such as ballade, limerick, rondeau, sonnet, triolet, and villanelle.

METER or METRE - the "M" in R&M...

A measure of *rhythmic quantity;the organized succession of groups of syllables at basically regular intervals in a line of poetry, according to definite metrical patterns. In classic Greek and Latin versification, meter depended on the way long and short syllables were arranged to succeed one another, but in English the distinction is between accented and unaccented syllables. The unit of meter is the foot.

Metrical lines are named for the constituent foot and for the number of feet in the line: monometer (1), dimeter (2), trimeter (3), tetrameter (4), pentameter (5), hexameter (6), heptameter (7), and octameter (8); thus, a line containing five iambic feet, for example, would be called iambic pentameter. Rarely does a metrical line exceed six feet.
The metrical element of sound makes a valuable contribution to the mood and total effect of a poem.

Sidelight: In the composition of verse, poets sometimes make deviations from the systematic metrical patterns. This is often desirable because (1) variations will avoid the mechanical "te-dum, te-dum" monotony of a too-regular rhythm and (2) changes in the metrical pattern are an effective way to emphasize or reinforce meaning in the content. These variations are introduced by substituting different feet at places within a line. (Poets can also employ a caesura, use run-on lines and vary the degrees of accent by skillful word selection to modify the rhythmic pattern, a process called modulation. Accents heightened by semantic emphasis also provide diversity.) A proficient writer of poetry, therefore, is not a slave to the dictates of metrics, but neither should the poet stray so far from the meter as to lose the musical value or emotional potential of rhythmical repetition. Of course, in modern free verse, meter has become either irregular or non-existent.

Sidelight: Generally speaking, it is advisable for poets to delay the introduction of metrical variations until the ear of the reader has had time to become accustomed to the basic rhythmic pattern.

Sidelight: In music, the term, rubato, refers to rhythmic variations from the written score applied in the performance.

*Rhythmic - the regular or progressive pattern of recurrent accents in the flow of a poem as determined by the arses and theses of the metrical feet, i.e., the rise and fall of stress. The measure of rhythmic quantity is the meter.

Sidelight: A rhythmic pattern in which the accent falls on the final syllable of each foot, as in the iamb or anapest, is called a rising or ascending rhythm; a rhythmic pattern with the accent occurring on the first syllable of each foot, as in the dactyl or trochee, is a falling or descending rhythm.

FORM:

The arrangement or method used to convey the content, such as ballad, haiku, etc. In other words, the "way-it-is-said." A variably interpreted term, however, it sometimes applies to details within the composition of a text, but is probably used most often in reference to the structural characteristics of a work as it compares to (or differs from) established modes of conventionalized arrangements.

Sidelight: The form of a poem which follows a set pattern of rhyme scheme, stanza form, and refrain (if there is one), is called a fixed form, examples of which include: ballade, limerick, pantoum, rondeau, sestina, sonnet, triolet, and villanelle. Used in this sense, form is closely related to genre.

Sidelight: While familiarity and practice with established forms is essential to learning the craft, a poet needn't be slavishly bound by them; a great poet masters techniques, experiments, and extends his or her imaginative creativity to new boundaries.



The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
METER1
 
SYLLABICATION: meˇter
PRONUNCIATION:   mtr
NOUN: 1a. The measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or the number of syllables in a line. b. A particular arrangement of words in poetry, such as iambic pentameter, determined by the kind and number of metrical units in a line. c. The rhythmic pattern of a stanza, determined by the kind and number of lines. 2. Music a. Division into measures or bars. b. A specific rhythm determined by the number of beats and the time value assigned to each note in a measure.  

The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
PERFECT RHYME
 
NOUN: 1. Rhyme in which the final accented vowel and all succeeding consonants or syllables are identical, while the preceding consonants are different, for example, great, late; rider, beside her; dutiful, unbeautiful. Also called full rhyme, true rhyme. 2. Rime riche.

[JustDaniel]

I'd love to know where the short pieces ARE, so I COULD (and would) comment on them... but alas I don't have the time to search. :(

Thanks for allowing my feedback :p

... and note this comment from Fran in one of Cathy's haiku:

Hi Cathy,

The trouble with a good haiku is it is a small pure thing of beauty that speaks for itself - thus making crit seem crass and redundant by comparison.

As I said, critique of the short forms is a very different activity.  I'd like to develop that activity with those who desire to pursue it... where those who do not desire so will simply not visit...

as I do not visit the prose venues.  I am sure that the prose venues are a hotbed of wonderful learning, but the cost in time is too high for me to venture there, so I simply do not.  I'm also sure that no one would consider removing that part of the site if most did not go there.  Few visit Karnak either, but it's a great place to visit to learn about various forms... in general.  I'd still like to see an additional forum [ as several sites have, who've recognized the validity of a separate nook ] for short forms.

But I'll still love y'all if you choose not to offer that.

deLighting in the freedom of form, Daniel  :running: