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temporal fracture

Structure
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 disruption in narrative continuity within a poem that emphasizes disjointed time

Detailed Definition
Temporal fracture describes a disruption in linear time within a poem—through flashbacks, anachronism, or simultaneous timelines—that mirrors psychological trauma, historical rupture, or postmodern skepticism toward narrative continuity; this technique shatters chronological coherence to reflect fragmented memory or contested histories, as in Muriel Rukeyser’s documentary poems that interweave past and present injustices.
Example
Example in poetry:
Temporal fracture disrupts chronological order: Flashbacks in narrative poetry; Jumping from past to future without transition; In “The Waste Land,” “You gave me hyacinths first a year ago” interrupts present scene; A poem beginning at death and moving backward.
Additional Notes
temporal fracture|A deliberate break, non-linear jump, or abrupt shift in the chronological sequence or perceived flow of time within a poem, disrupting the narrative continuity.
Also Known As
Time fracture Broken chronology Temporal crack Chronoclasm
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