On Enjambment

Abstract

The subject of this work is poetic enjambment, which is an inconsistency of the flow of verse structure in a poem and the syntactic divisions of the poetic text. Enjambment is known as one of the most constitutive phenomena in verse, and its importance has grown immeasurably in our cultural sphere over the last few decades. Therefore, it has been a real wake-up call not only for poets, linguists, versologists, literary historians, and philosophers, but also for those studying human cognition and cognitive processes. There are various types of enjambments, each with different properties. Some fundamentally affect our perception of the poem, while others are barely perceptible and require specific attention. Some can be found between verses, within them, or between poetic stanzas. Some examples exist at the level of syntax, while others are found within the word. But most importantly, they all belong to the realm of versification. All of them create meanings and shape the reading. This text sets itself a truly pragmatic goal: to gather in one place and organize this basic knowledge referred to this verse phenomenon for the poetics of verse, and to present an overview of the poetic enjambment (in Polish poetry), its etymology, typology, and examples from older and newer works by poets of various periods.