need definition: enjambment

kdnxdr

One of the most important people in the world
Poetry Book Collaborator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
7,900
Reaction score
843
Location
near to Dogwood Missouri
Website
steadydrip.blogspot.com
I've been critiqued regarding my enjambment quite a few times lately. I don't know what enjambment is. Need to know so I can fix it.

kdnxdr
 

Richard

13th Triskaidekaphobe
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,868
Reaction score
316
Location
England
Website
www.richardcobbett.co.uk
It's the poetry equivalent of the run-on sentence, a unit of the poem (a line) continuing for more than one printed line and pulling the reader's eye along with it.

For example I don't write
poetry but something like
this would still
apply

Or

This is an enjambment
Going onto another line
This is an endstop
 

kdnxdr

One of the most important people in the world
Poetry Book Collaborator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
7,900
Reaction score
843
Location
near to Dogwood Missouri
Website
steadydrip.blogspot.com
Wow! Thank you both, very much.

William: That was like taking a flash class on enjambment and end-stopping.

now, the question is, is one more preferable over the other and is there a best way to "do enjambment"?

I've heard several different things about emphasis on verbs, metaphors, similies and "strongest word".

say, for example, if one was using enjambment, how would that influence the aforementioned?

did that question even make sense?

kdnxdr
 

William Haskins

poet
Kind Benefactor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
29,099
Reaction score
8,848
Age
58
Website
www.poisonpen.net
yes it makes sense, but i'm not really the right person with whom to discuss such things. i find formalism overvalued, and typically avoid didactic discussions about poetic rules.
 

Deleted member 42

kdnxdr said:
Wow! Thank you both, very much.

William: That was like taking a flash class on enjambment and end-stopping.

now, the question is, is one more preferable over the other and is there a best way to "do enjambment"?

I've heard several different things about emphasis on verbs, metaphors, similies and "strongest word".

say, for example, if one was using enjambment, how would that influence the aforementioned?

did that question even make sense?

kdnxdr

Yes, and rather than try to answer it here, I'm going to suggest some books:

Mary Oliver A Poetry Handbook
Mary Oliver Rules for the Dance : A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse
John Hollander Rhyme's Reason: A Guide to English Verse
Paul Fussell Poetic Meter and Poetic Form

These are all actually quite slim, and readable, even enjoyable. Try your public library.