Enjambment

Etymology and Meanings of Enjambment

The word “enjambment” comes from the French word “enjambement,” which is derived from the verb “enjamber,” meaning “to straddle” or “to stride over.”

The term was first used in English in the mid-19th century to describe a poetic technique in which a sentence or clause continues from one line of verse to the next without a pause or punctuation mark at the end of the line. This creates a sense of flow and continuity in the poem, and can add to the overall effect of the language and imagery.

The literal meaning of enjambment refers to the continuation of a sentence or clause from one line of poetry to the next, without a pause or punctuation mark at the end of the line. This technique is used in poetry to create a sense of flow and continuity, and to connect ideas and images across multiple lines. The word “enjambment” can also refer more broadly to any instance in which a sentence or clause carries over to the next line or sentence without a grammatical break, including in prose writing.

Enjambment in Grammar

Actually, the noun “enjambment” is typically used as a mass noun in English, which means that it does not typically have a plural form. While it is possible to use “enjambments” as a plural form in some contexts, this usage is relatively uncommon and may sound awkward or non-standard to some speakers. Instead, it is more common to use the term “instances of enjambment” or a similar phrase to refer to multiple examples of the technique in a given poem or literary work.

Definition of Enjambment

In literary terms, it is an incomplete syntax that occurs at the end of a line with meanings shifting to the next verse, having no punctuation at the end. When there is no Enjambment at the end of a line, it means it is end-stopped verse.

Literary Examples of Enjambment

Example # 1

From “The Waste Land” by T. S. Eliot

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.

This is the very first stanza of “The Waste Land,” the most popular poem of T. S. Eliot. It shows that the poet has used enjambment in almost every other line except the fourth and the last line. They also show that the poet has shifted the meanings to the very next line such as mixing is closely occurring with “memory” in the next line and that the thought has not broken here.

Example # 2

From “Eldorado” by Edgar Allen Poe

But he grew old—
This knight so bold—
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

This is the second stanza of the popular poem “Eldorado” by Edgar Allen Poe. He has used the enjambment successively in the third, fourth and fifth line, showing that there is no break in the though and no break in the verses. However, the last line is end-stopped verse.

Example # 3

From “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

Think not for this, however, the poor treason

Of my stout blood against my staggering brain,

I shall remember you with love, or season

My scorn with pity,—let me make it plain:

I find this frenzy insufficient reason

For conversation when we meet again.

These are the last verses of the popular sonnet of Edna St. Vincent Millay. She has beautifully used enjambments in the first, third, and the second last verse. The first line has been beautifully merged with the second and third with the fourth clearly showing that there is not break in the thought and hence no break in the line.

Example # 4

“Icarus” by Edward Field

Only the feathers floating around the hat
Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred
Than the usual drowning. The police preferred to ignore
The confusing aspects of the case,
And the witnesses ran off to a gang war.

Edward Field has used enjambments in the first three verses of this poem. The first two verses continue until there is a stop in the middle of the third verse and it continues with the fourth having a comma and the last having a period. This shows the thought continues in the first two verses, leaving no space for an end. That is why these two enjambments are highly effective here.

How to Create Enjambment

1. Enjambments often occur only in poetry or in black verses used for plays. Therefore, plan it earlier where, how and when to use it in your thought.
2. Carefully write the verse and leave it to continue the thought in the next verse.
3. Continue it with three or four verses and see how it impacts the overall reading.
4. Read it aloud to continue the though from two to four and more verses as it is done in the free verse poetry.

Benefits of Using Enjambment

1. Enjambments bring flow in the verses when there is no stop or end stop.
2. Enjambments complete the thoughts or ideas and given a complete information to the readers about the thought.
3. It completes abstract thoughts and clarify them.
4. It means reading poetry enjoyable and clear.

Enjambment in Literary Theory

1. Although enjambments are rarely used in literary theory, they are important when doing critique from formalistic literary theoretical point of view. It is because it is an important part of poetic devices and they are used to critique poetry.
2. Other than these, they could be used in poetic criticism or criticism of poetry disregard of literary theory.
3. They are also important for postcolonial and indigenous theory in critiquing poetry of such cultures.

Suggested Readings

Abrams, Meyer Howard, and Geoffrey Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Cengage Learning, 2014.

Bennett, Andrew, and Nicholas Royle. Literature, Criticism and Theory. Harlow, UK: Pearson, 2004. Tsur, Reuven, and Chen Gafni. “Enjambment–Irony, Wit, Emotion. A Case Study Suggesting Wider Principles.” Studia Metrica et Poetica 5.2 (2018): 7-28.