Home › Glossary › Letter I

Interpolated narrative

Device
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 story or narrative segment inserted into the main poetic text, often from a different time, voice, or source; it enriches the poem with embedded narratives, creating layers of storytelling and historical depth.

Detailed Definition
An Interpolated narrative is a secondary story embedded within a primary poetic framework, often introduced through digression, flashback, or reported speech; it enriches thematic depth by offering contrast, context, or allegorical parallel, as seen in Spenser’s The Faerie Queene or Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”
Example
Example in poetry:
In Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” each pilgrim’s story is an interpolated narrative within the frame tale; In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” the creature’s tale is interpolated into Victor’s narrative; In Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” the Mariner’s tale is interpolated into the Wedding Guest’s experience; In Salman Rushdie’s poetic prose, stories within stories function as interpolated narratives.
Additional Notes
Interpolated narrative inserts a story within a larger frame (e.g., a character telling a tale); creates depth and perspective; common in epic, frame tales, and dramatic monologues; ensure the inset narrative advances the main theme.
Also Known As
Nested narrative inset tale embedded story framed episode Nested tale Story within poem
Skip to main content