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Self-similar form

Form
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

A poetic form based on repetition of similar structures at different scales, resembling fractals

Detailed Definition
Self-similar form describes a poem whose smaller units—lines, stanzas, or phrases—mirror the structure or theme of the whole, creating fractal-like repetition; this recursive design reinforces unity and coherence, as seen in villanelles or poems where each stanza recapitulates the central conflict in microcosm.
Example
Example in poetry:
Fractal poetry like Ron Silliman’s “Tjanting” uses self-similar paragraphs repeating structural motifs; In haiku sequences, each poem mirrors the whole in miniature—self-similar form; George Herbert’s shaped poems repeat devotional patterns at multiple scales; Oulipo’s recursive constraints (e.g., poems within poems) demonstrate self-similar form
Additional Notes
Self-similar form: A structure in which the pattern of the whole poem is repeated in the patterns of its smaller parts (e.g., stanzas or lines); similar to fractal or repetitive geometric designs; contributes to unity.
Also Known As
Fractal form recursive form self-similar design Fracatal stanza Fractal stanza
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