: Re: What is a term for groups of stanzas within a poem? Many free verse poems have "sections" or "divisions" within them that may be numbered or set off by a group of three

@Angela458

Vote Up Vote Down

I have never seen "verse' used to refer to a group of stanzas. On the other hand, the numbered sections in the question are short enough that I would be inclined to call each one a single stanza or verse.

The term "canto" can be used for divisions of a poem, but I have only seen it used for rather long sections of a quite long poem, not the sort of thing in the question. The Hunting of the Snark was subtitled "An Agony in Eight fits" and each section was called a "fit", but that seems to have been a unique usage for that one poem, and in any case those fits each included scores of stanzas, and each covered quite a few pages. Not quite the same thing.

I have seen long narrative poems divided into 'Chapters" or "books" or "parts" as a more modern equivalent of "cantos", but that would hardly seem to fit the example in the question. I think "section" would really be the best option of any that have occured to me.

(0)

Login to post a comment!