Breaking (Down) the Sound Barrier: Explorations of Sound Patterning as a Distinct and Disparate Layer of Meaning

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of how sound and sound play create layers of meaning and complexity in poetry in relation to and alongside semantic meaning. Employing Stephen Burt's description of the nearly Baroque, Baroque Baroque, and rococo to categorize kinds of poems, techniques such as syntax, alliteration, assonance, and rhythm are identified and addressed in various contemporary poems from Karen Volkman, Lucie Brock-Broido, and Jorie Graham. The study concludes by identifying how the techniques may affect the writer's creative work.