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Irrational verse

Genre
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 that deliberately eschews logic or rational structure, often embracing dream logic or absurdity

Detailed Definition
Irrational verse rejects logical coherence and conventional syntax in favor of dream logic, surreal juxtaposition, and subconscious impulse; emerging from Dada and Surrealist movements, it uses automatic writing, disjointed imagery, and absurdity to access deeper psychological truths, as in the poems of André Breton or contemporary experimental lyricism.
Example
Example in poetry:
Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” uses nonsense logic; Russell Edson’s prose poems embrace absurd premises; Daniil Kharms’ “Incidents” present irrational, surreal vignettes; Gertrude Stein’s “Tender Buttons” disrupts syntax and referential meaning.
Additional Notes
Irrational verse embraces dream logic, surreal juxtaposition, and non sequitur to access subconscious or transcendent states; aligned with Surrealism and automatic writing.
Also Known As
Surreal verse dream logic poetry illogical lyric subconscious utterance Absurdist verse Anti-rational poetry
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