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broken sonnet

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A sonnet that deliberately disrupts traditional structure, rhyme, or expectations

Detailed Definition
A broken sonnet deliberately fractures the traditional sonnet structure—through disrupted rhyme, irregular meter, omitted lines, or disjointed syntax—to reflect thematic fragmentation, psychological distress, or modern disillusionment; while retaining echoes of the form (e.g., a volta or fourteen-line suggestion), it subverts expectations to convey instability, as seen in postmodern or confessional poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
Terrance Hayes’ “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin,” breaking traditional sonnet expectations with irregular rhyme and political content; Wanda Coleman’s “American Sonnet” series, using fractured forms to critique social norms; A sonnet split into two stanzas of 7 and 7 lines with no volta; A sonnet where the final couplet is replaced by a single line of silence or white space
Additional Notes
A broken sonnet deliberately fractures traditional sonnet structure—through enjambment, irregular rhyme, or disrupted volta—to convey emotional or thematic dissonance.
Also Known As
Fractured sonnet Shattered sonnet Disrupted sonnet Unraveled sonnet Deformed sonnet Incomplete sonnet Partial sonnet Discordant sonnet
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