(Writing)Stressed? Unstressed?

[Revenge of the Bjorn]

Thinking of trying my hand at writing a complete mockery of literature, by writing an epic poem and attempting to make it humorous (The idea owes some credit to Nagan's 5 Minute Illiad and Other Instant Classics). I thought it'd be better to write it in "English Heroic Verse with no rhyme" but realised that I do not understand the concept of what makes a syllable stressed or unstressed. Can anyone help me out?

 

[dave_o]

Yeah, here goes.

Let's use iambic pentameter for this. That is, five iambs per line, and an iamb is one stressed and unstressed syllable.

Let's use a common word: candle. The stress in on "can" and the unstress is on "dle". It is said: CAN-dle.

Get me?

 

[Hypersmurf]

... and an iamb is one stressed and unstressed syllable.

[coughTrocheecough]

-Hyp.

 

[Arken]

[coughTrocheecough]

-Hyp.

LOL That's the second time this week I've seen you dispense such wisdom
Good for you!

Dave_O is completely right about averything else though and explained it well .

I had a lecture about this just this week , ah well back to my anglo saxon translation. I know quite a bit of stuff about this but don't have time to type it up just know so I'll see if I can tomorrow.

 

[SpringPlum]

an iamb is one stressed and unstressed syllable.

<br><br>Just flip that around. An iamb is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed. For an easy example take your handle for an example. 'Revenge' is an iamb: re-VENGE. Despite the fact that Shakespeare made it look easy, English is one of the hardest languages to write poetry in. Good luck on your poem. I hope you post it here when you complete it.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Despite the fact that Shakespeare made it look easy, English is one of the hardest languages to write poetry in.

Try Latin

-Hyp.

 

[Nifft]

Try Latin

Nah, Latin's easy -- since no-one knows how to pronounce it properly, you can fake anything.

-- N (pronounced "Throat-Warbler Mangrove" in Latin)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Nah, Latin's easy -- since no-one knows how to pronounce it properly, you can fake anything.

Poetic Latin and... well, prosaic Latin, have different "rules", though. Different stresses. Words that have meanings in poetry that they simply don't have any other time. Syllables that just... disappear.

Latin poetry is... complex.

-Hyp.

 

[rbingham2000]

I had some fun trying to read Shakespeare in the iambic pentameter. Much easier to read once you have a rhythm to go on, let me tell you.

 

[takyris]

As for your original idea... have you read "Rape of the Lock", the heroic epic involving a bad haircut? It was a droll sidesplitter in its day, although it presumes a slightly higher level of poetic knowledge than is common today.