Poetry
This week: The Blason & Contre-blason poetry forms Edited by: Red Writing Hood <3 More Newsletters By This Editor
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“A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.”
Robert Frost
“Poetry is the exquisite expression of exquisite expressions.”
Joseph Roux (1725-1793)
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The Blason & Contre-blason Poetry Forms: A Brief History and How-to
The winter holidays and New Year are behind us and around the corner will soon be the holiday for love: Valentine’s Day. There are those emphatically for and against this holiday of love. The blason and contre-blason are poetry forms for whichever side you fall. If you stand in the middle, then you’ll have to create your own form for the occasion. :P
Blason or Blazon
The blason and contre-blason are the yin and yang poetry forms for strong emotions. They are similar to the list poetry form in that they describe a list of the wonderful things about the one that is loved (blason) or a list of the awful things about the one that is despised (contre-blason). the po.e.try dic.tion.ar.y goes on to say, “concluding with an epigram, on a theme of praise or blame” (Drury, 42). While mentioning epigram suggests utilizing comedy or satire, feel free to be sincere with your love list and praise.
BRIEF HISTORY
This French form is around five centuries old.
MUST HAVES
--Topic: Love. Must list the things loved about the subject of the poem.
COULD HAVES or WHAT IS THE POET’S CHOICE IN ALL THIS?
--Line count is up to you, but is usually not lengthy.
--Meter: Your choice, but 8-10 syllable lines are often selected.
--Number of stanzas.
--Rhyme or not, it’s up to you.
Contre-Blason or contre-blazon
As mentioned above, the contre-blason is the polar opposite of the blason. Instead of a list of things loved about the subject of the poem, it is a list of the horrible things hated, and then ends with a comical/satirical or serious theme of blame for the hated.
MUST HAVES
--Topic: Hate. Must list the things hated about the subject of the poem.
COULD HAVES or WHAT IS THE POET’S CHOICE IN ALL THIS?
--Line count is up to you, but is usually not lengthy.
--Meter: Your choice, but 8-10 syllable lines are often selected.
--Number of stanzas.
--Rhyme or not, it’s up to you.
OF NOTE:
The obvious subjects of these types of poems would be people; however there are many things other than people that are loved or hated. These would be great forms to practice exploring this. The beginnings of this poetry form “may be seen as a male inventory of the female body” (New Princeton, 142). We can utilize this poetry form to go beyond this simple, and to some, sexist listing, and give it depth regardless if you go for serious or satire.
SOURCE NOTES:
The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Edited by Ales Preminger and T. V. F. Brogan. 1993.
Drury, John. the po.e.try dic.tion.ar.y. 2nd edition. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 2006. Print.
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