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Esemplastic power

Concept
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

Coleridge’s term for the poetic imagination’s power to unify disparate images

Detailed Definition
Esemplastic power, coined by Coleridge, describes poetry’s unique ability to unify disparate elements—sensations, ideas, images—into a coherent imaginative whole; it signifies the creative synthesis that transforms fragments into organic artistic unity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Esemplastic power unifies disparate images into a single vision, as in Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” where “A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice” merges opposites into a transcendent whole.
Additional Notes
Imagination's power to unify disparate elements into whole. Coleridge's term. Romantic concept. Poetic synthesis ability. Related: organic form, imagination theory. Key to understanding Romantic poetics.
Also Known As
Unifying imagination Synthesizing power Fusing faculty Integrative force
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