Home › Glossary › Letter F

Fragment series

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 poetic sequence composed of fragmented, non-linear, or incomplete sections that together suggest a larger thematic or narrative whole.

Detailed Definition
A fragment series is a poetic sequence composed of multiple short, incomplete, or elliptical units—each functioning as a discrete fragment—that together form a larger thematic or emotional arc; these fragments may share recurring motifs, images, or voices, yet resist conventional narrative continuity, emphasizing resonance over resolution and often reflecting postmodern or experimental sensibilities.
Example
Example in poetry:
In H.D.’s “Trilogy,” fragment series evoke war-torn London through mythic shards; In George Oppen’s “Of Being Numerous,” fragment series meditate on urban alienation; In Susan Howe’s “My Emily Dickinson,” fragment series reconstruct archival silence; Contemporary poet Claudia Rankine uses fragment series in “Citizen” to accumulate racial trauma; In Anne Carson’s “Nox,” fragment series mourn a brother through collage; In Layli Long Soldier’s “38,” fragment series recount Dakota 38 execution through official and Indigenous records.
Additional Notes
A Fragment series is a collection or sequence of short poems or stanzas, each of which is a self-contained fragment (incomplete thought, image, or scene); the power lies in the juxtaposition of these incomplete pieces, creating a larger, complex, and open-ended meaning across the whole series.
Also Known As
Sequence of fragments fragmented chain shard series Fragment cycle Fragment sequence
Skip to main content