Home › Glossary › Letter M

Mimetic form

Form
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

Poetry that imitates the subject or theme through form and language

Detailed Definition
Mimetic form refers to poetic structures that deliberately emulate or reflect their thematic content through shape, rhythm, or syntax—such as cascading lines for falling rain or fragmented stanzas for psychological trauma; rooted in classical doctrine (“ut pictura poesis”), it ranges from George Herbert’s shaped poems (“Easter Wings”) to contemporary concrete poetry, where visual and sonic form enact meaning beyond verbal signification.
Example
Example in poetry:
Mimetic form in George Herbert’s “Easter Wings” (shaped like wings); In “The Altar,” poem’s shape mirrors its subject; Concrete poetry uses mimetic form: raindrop-shaped verses; Contemporary mimetic form: poem scrolls like a river; Form imitates content’s physical or emotional shape
Additional Notes
Mimetic form: A poem whose structure imitates its subject (e.g., a poem about falling that uses descending line lengths); also called “concrete” or “shape” poetry; emphasizes visual and kinetic correspondence.
Also Known As
Imitative form Pattern poetry Visual verse Shaped poetry
Skip to main content