Home › Glossary › Letter C

Canto sequence

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 series of self-contained sections (cantos) that together form a longer narrative or meditative poem, as in epics.

Detailed Definition
A canto sequence is a series of formally distinct yet thematically linked sections (cantos) that together compose an extended narrative or meditative poem; modeled on Dante’s "Divine Comedy," this structure allows for episodic development, varied meters, and shifting perspectives while maintaining overarching unity, as seen in Pound’s "Cantos" or Byron’s "Don Juan."
Example
Example in poetry:
“Dante’s Divine Comedy divided into a sequence of cantos, each a self-contained poetic section.”; “A large poem segmented into smaller narrative parts called cantos, such as Byron’s ‘Don Juan’.”
Additional Notes
A series of cantos (main divisions in a long poem, usually epic or narrative); The sequence is a major structural organization that manages the poem's length, thematic scope, and narrative breaks; The most famous example is Dante's Divine Comedy.
Also Known As
canto cycle cantos in succession narrative canto sequence Cantos cycle
Skip to main content