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Metaphysical conceit

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

An elaborate metaphor linking distant ideas, typical of metaphysical poets

Detailed Definition
A metaphysical conceit is an extended, intellectually intricate metaphor linking vastly dissimilar ideas or objects (e.g., compasses representing lovers), characteristic of 17th-century poets like John Donne; it fuses emotion and logic to startle the reader into new understanding through paradoxical analogy.
Example
Example in poetry:
Metaphysical conceit links dissimilar ideas with intellectual rigor: John Donne’s “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” compares lovers’ souls to the legs of a compass.
Additional Notes
Extended metaphor connecting disparate concepts through intellectual ingenuity. Defining feature of metaphysical poetry. Related: conceit, Donne, Herbert. Tip: Analyze logical development—how far-fetched comparison is sustained through reasoning.
Also Known As
Extended metaphor Elaborate comparison Witty conceit Ingenious analogy Whit (witty conceit) Whit
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