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Quatorzain

Technique
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

Any 14-line poem that does not adhere to traditional sonnet rhyme schemes or volta conventions, allowing formal experimentation.

Detailed Definition
A quatorzain is any poem of fourteen lines, distinct from the sonnet in that it need not adhere to traditional rhyme schemes or thematic structures. This flexible form allows poets to experiment with length and closure while evoking the sonnet’s legacy, as seen in modernist and free-verse adaptations.
Example
Example in poetry:
A quatorzain is any 14-line poem not necessarily a sonnet; John Clare’s “Sonnet” is technically a quatorzain with irregular rhyme; A modern quatorzain might use free verse across 14 lines to explore a single image; Another example: a 14-line poem in tercets and a couplet without iambic pentameter; W.H. Auden wrote quatorzains that subverted sonnet expectations; A quatorzain could follow an ABABBCBC CDCDCD rhyme scheme.
Additional Notes
A quatorzain is any 14-line poem, not necessarily following sonnet conventions (e.g., rhyme scheme, volta, or iambic pentameter); offers formal constraint without sonnet expectations; used by poets like John Clare or W.H. Auden to subvert or simplify the sonnet; students can experiment with free-verse quatorzains to explore thematic unity within a fixed length; useful for workshops focusing on structure versus tradition; distinguish from Italian/English/Spenserian sonnets by absence of required features.
Also Known As
Fourteen-Line Poem
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