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Spectral composition

Concept
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 work that evokes presence through absence or ghostly suggestion

Detailed Definition
A work that evokes presence through absence, suggestion, or ghostly implication rather than direct statement, creating haunting quality through what is implied rather than stated. Spectral compositions can include poems about ghosts and haunting, or more broadly works that create meaning through negative space, absence, and implication, challenging conventional emphasis on presence and plenitude in literature by making absence itself artistically productive.
Example
Example in poetry:
Susan Howe’s “That This” constructs spectral composition from her husband’s death and archival silence; M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!” uses legal text of murdered Africans to create spectral voices; Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s “Dictee” weaves ghostly maternal and colonial voices into spectral composition; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” includes spectral microaggressions that haunt the reader; Layli Long Soldier’s “Whereas” gives spectral presence to Lakota ancestors through fragmented syntax; Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City” layers falling Saigon with spectral dancing—blending history and memory.
Additional Notes
Work that evokes presence through absence or suggestion. Related to phantom poem but can include actual text. Creates ghostly or haunting quality.
Also Known As
Ghost composition Absent work Implied text Haunting verse Eidolon poem
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