Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles
This study submits to empirical investigation an old idea of Tsur’s regarding the effect of enjambment on the perceived subtleness of irony in a poetic passage. We submitted two versions of a Milton passage to over 50 participants with “background in literary studies”, ranging from undergraduates to...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Tartu Press
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Studia Metrica et Poetica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/smp/article/view/14672 |
| _version_ | 1818387282063785984 |
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| author | Reuven Tsur Chen Gafni |
| author_facet | Reuven Tsur Chen Gafni |
| author_sort | Reuven Tsur |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study submits to empirical investigation an old idea of Tsur’s regarding the effect of enjambment on the perceived subtleness of irony in a poetic passage. We submitted two versions of a Milton passage to over 50 participants with “background in literary studies”, ranging from undergraduates to tenured professors, asking them to rate the perceived subtleness of irony and forthrightness of expression. We received four incompatible combinations of relative subtleness and forthrightness in the two passages. Two of the combinations were logically reasonable (though resulting from opposite performances), and two were internally inconsistent. An analysis of these results revealed two sources of this discrepancy: enjambments can be performed in three different ways, and participants respond not to abstract enjambments, but to performed enjambments; and they act upon partly overlapping definitions of irony. Assuming different performances of the enjambment, both logically acceptable response patterns support our hypothesis. Yet, a large part of the responses in this study were incoherent to some extent. This highlights the difficulty in collecting subjective interpretations of complex aesthetic events. We discuss this methodological issue at length. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:07:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ddbd4de86ed64ecfa2ebc83939a99d98 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2346-6901 2346-691X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:07:28Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Tartu Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studia Metrica et Poetica |
| spelling | doaj.art-ddbd4de86ed64ecfa2ebc83939a99d982022-12-21T23:17:48ZengUniversity of Tartu PressStudia Metrica et Poetica2346-69012346-691X2018-12-015210.12697/smp.2018.5.2.01Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider PrinciplesReuven Tsur0Chen Gafni1Tel Aviv UniversityBar-Ilan UniversityThis study submits to empirical investigation an old idea of Tsur’s regarding the effect of enjambment on the perceived subtleness of irony in a poetic passage. We submitted two versions of a Milton passage to over 50 participants with “background in literary studies”, ranging from undergraduates to tenured professors, asking them to rate the perceived subtleness of irony and forthrightness of expression. We received four incompatible combinations of relative subtleness and forthrightness in the two passages. Two of the combinations were logically reasonable (though resulting from opposite performances), and two were internally inconsistent. An analysis of these results revealed two sources of this discrepancy: enjambments can be performed in three different ways, and participants respond not to abstract enjambments, but to performed enjambments; and they act upon partly overlapping definitions of irony. Assuming different performances of the enjambment, both logically acceptable response patterns support our hypothesis. Yet, a large part of the responses in this study were incoherent to some extent. This highlights the difficulty in collecting subjective interpretations of complex aesthetic events. We discuss this methodological issue at length.https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/smp/article/view/14672enjambmentperformanceironywitemotioncognitive poetics |
| spellingShingle | Reuven Tsur Chen Gafni Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles Studia Metrica et Poetica enjambment performance irony wit emotion cognitive poetics |
| title | Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles |
| title_full | Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles |
| title_fullStr | Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles |
| title_short | Enjambment – Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles |
| title_sort | enjambment irony wit emotion a case study suggesting wider principles |
| topic | enjambment performance irony wit emotion cognitive poetics |
| url | https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/smp/article/view/14672 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT reuventsur enjambmentironywitemotionacasestudysuggestingwiderprinciples AT chengafni enjambmentironywitemotionacasestudysuggestingwiderprinciples |