HumanitiesWeb HumanitiesWeb
WelcomeHistoryLiteratureArtMusicPhilosophyResourcesHelp
Sort By Author Sort By Title
pixel
HumanitiesWeb.org - Free Verse
Resources
Sort By Author
Sort By Title

Search

& etc
FEEDBACK

(C)1998-2012
All Rights Reserved.

Site last updated
13 January, 2012
Free Verse
Free verse, or vers libre, is a common type of unrhymed poetry. The form is defined as rhythmical lines varying in length, adhering to no fixed metrical pattern and usually unrhymed. The pattern is often largely based on repetition and parallel grammatical structure. Although at first glance free verse may appear unrestrained, as T.S. Eliot (a practitioner) said, "No vers is libre for the man who wants to do a good job."

Whitman’s "A Noiseless Patient Spider" is one example, and Arnold’s "Dover Beach" is another (although less typical because it uses rhyme). Thoroughly typical is Whitman’s "When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer".

Contributed by Gifford, Katya
12 May 2002

Personae

Terms Defined

Referenced Works