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Concrete verse

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

Poetry where visual arrangement and typography are integral to meaning and effect

Detailed Definition
Concrete verse: Poetry where visual arrangement on the page creates meaning, with words shaped into images related to the poem's subject. Also called pattern poetry or shaped verse, concrete poetry treats language as visual medium, not just semantic content. The form dates to ancient Greek technopaegnia through George Herbert's shaped poems to twentieth-century concrete poetry movements. Concrete verse challenges conventional linearity, engaging readers' visual perception and suggesting that poetic meaning emerges from spatial arrangement as well as linguistic content. The form explores boundaries between poetry, visual art, and typography.
Example
Example in poetry:
Concrete verse arranges words on the page to create a visual shape related to the poem's subject, such as arranging a poem about rain in descending droplet patterns.
Additional Notes
Concrete verse arranges words visually on the page to create shapes or images related to the poem's subject. Also called shape poetry, this form makes typography and spatial arrangement integral to meaning.
Also Known As
shape poem pattern poetry figured verse Pattern poem shaped line Topographic poetry Urban/Street Poetry visualised line
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