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descent from sublime

Device
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 rhetorical descent from lofty, elevated diction to trivial or mundane language, often for ironic, satirical, or comic effect.

Detailed Definition
Descent from sublime describes a rhetorical or thematic shift in poetry where elevated, transcendent language or imagery abruptly gives way to the mundane, ironic, or grotesque; this technique, often used for satirical or critical effect, can be found in Augustan satire or modernist poetry to undercut romantic idealism and expose human frailty.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker descends from sublime mountain vision to human moral growth; In Shelley’s “Mont Blanc,” the poem moves from awe at nature’s power to philosophical doubt; In Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” eternal art gives way to human sorrow in the final lines; In Tracy K. Smith’s “My God, It’s Full of Stars,” cosmic wonder descends to earthly grief; In Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City,” disco euphoria descends to war’s reality.
Additional Notes
descent from sublime: The poetic technique of moving from an elevated, lofty, or awe-inspiring tone or subject matter to one that is mundane, commonplace, or even trivial. Context: Often used for comedic effect (bathos) or to emphasize the contrast between the ideal and the real.
Also Known As
Fall from sublime descent motif anticlimactic fall lowering from grandeur Bathos
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