Anastrophe: A Rhetorical/Literary Device

Anastrophe: Etymology/Term, Literal and Conceptual Meanings

Etymology/Term:

Anastrophe, derived from the Greek word “anastrephein,” meaning “to turn back” or “to invert,” is a rhetorical device in which the normal word order of a sentence is reversed for emphasis or stylistic effect. This departure from conventional syntax aims to draw attention to specific words or ideas, creating a distinctive and memorable expression. Anastrophe is often employed in literature, poetry, and rhetoric to evoke a particular tone or to highlight key elements within a sentence.

Literal Meaning:

• In its literal sense, anastrophe involves the rearrangement of words in a sentence.
• It disrupts the typical subject-verb-object order.

Example: “Into the forest deep, I walked” uses anastrophe by placing the prepositional phrase at the beginning for emphasis.

Conceptual Meaning:

• Beyond its literal application, anastrophe carries a conceptual meaning.
• It can evoke a sense of urgency, importance, or poetic rhythm.
• This rhetorical device enables writers and speakers to creatively manipulate language.
• It encourages the audience to engage more deeply with the text.
• Anastrophe enhances the overall impact of the message.

Anastrophe: Definition as a Literary Device

Anastrophe is a literary device in which the normal word order of a sentence is reversed for emphasis or stylistic effect. It involves placing the subject, verb, or object in an unusual position, creating a deviation from standard syntax. By altering the typical word order, anastrophe draws attention to specific words or ideas, adding emphasis and enhancing the overall impact of the expression.

Anastrophe: Types and Examples

Type	Example	Explanation
Prepositional	“Into the forest deep, I walked.”	Anastrophe shifts the prepositional phrase to the beginning, emphasizing the depth of the forest.
Adjective	“Eternal the bond, unbreakable our friendship.”	The inversion emphasizes the enduring nature of the bond and the strength of the friendship.
Verb	“In the meadow danced the butterflies.”	By placing the verb first, anastrophe highlights the graceful movement of the butterflies in the meadow.
Noun	“Of wisdom, the ancient tree spoke.”	Anastrophe places the noun first, drawing attention to the ancient tree and its wisdom.
Subject-Object	“The stars, I counted every one.”	Inverting the subject and object, this anastrophe emphasizes the personal act of counting each star.
Adverbial Phrase	“With determination, she faced the challenge.”	The adverbial phrase takes precedence, emphasizing the determination with which she faced the challenge.
Article Adjective	“An angel, she appeared before him.”	Anastrophe places the article adjective first, emphasizing the angelic nature of her appearance.
Pronominal	“Them, I do not trust.”	Placing the pronoun first, anastrophe highlights the lack of trust in “them.”

Anastrophe in Literature: Shakespearean Examples

1. Prepositional:
   • Original: “In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.”
   • Explanation: Shakespeare inverts the prepositional phrase to emphasize the setting, fair Verona, at the beginning of the prologue in “Romeo and Juliet.”
2. Adjective:
   • Original: “Eternal joy and jubilee shall reign.”
   • Explanation: This anastrophe from “Henry VI, Part 1” emphasizes the enduring nature of joy and jubilee.
3. Verb:
   • Original: “In thy youth’s proud livery, so gazed on now.”
   • Explanation: Shakespeare employs anastrophe in “Sonnet 18” by placing the verb “gazed” before the subject, highlighting the enduring beauty of the poem’s subject.
4. Noun:
   • Original: “Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange.”
   • Explanation: In “Othello,” anastrophe places the noun “wonders” first, emphasizing the speaker’s amazement.
5. Subject-Object:
   • Original: “The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remembered.”
   • Explanation: Hamlet addresses Ophelia with anastrophe, placing the subject “Nymph” before the verb, creating a poetic and reverent tone.
6. Adverbial Phrase:
   • Original: “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
   • Explanation: In “The Merchant of Venice,” Shakespeare uses anastrophe to emphasize the adverbial phrase, expressing a cheerful perspective on aging.
7. Article Adjective:
   • Original: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
   • Explanation: This famous line from “Romeo and Juliet” features anastrophe with the article adjective “A” at the beginning, highlighting the central metaphor.
8. Pronominal:
   • Original: “Them in thy course untainted do allow.”
   • Explanation: In “Sonnet 15,” anastrophe is used to emphasize the pronoun “Them,” referring to the hours, and their untainted passage.
9. Interjection:
   • Original: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.”
   • Explanation: Hamlet’s lament over Yorick inverts the interjection “Alas,” creating a mournful tone in this iconic scene.
10. Conjunction:
11. Original: “But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.”
12. Explanation: The anastrophe in this line from “Hamlet” places the conjunction “But” at the beginning, intensifying the speaker’s internal conflict.

Anastrophe in Literature: Examples

1. William Wordsworth – “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” (1798):
   • Original: “A presence that disturbs me with the joy / Of elevated thoughts.”
   • Anastrophe: “Of elevated thoughts, a presence that disturbs me with the joy.”

Wordsworth often employed anastrophe to create a more natural and rhythmic flow in his poetry.

2. William Shakespeare – “Hamlet” (c. 1600):
   • Original: “This above all: to thine own self be true.”
   • Anastrophe: “To thine own self be true: this above all.”

Shakespeare frequently used anastrophe for dramatic and rhetorical effect in his plays.

3. Charles Dickens – “A Tale of Two Cities” (1859):
   • Original: “So many hundred hands in this last week have help to give it, that it is difficult to say whose.”
   • Anastrophe: “So many hundred hands in this last week have helped to give it, that it is difficult to say whose.”

Dickens, known for his elaborate prose, occasionally employed anastrophe to enhance the flow of his sentences.

4. John Milton – “Paradise Lost” (1667):
   • Original: “High on a throne of royal state, which far / Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind.”
   • Anastrophe: “High on a throne of royal state, which of Ormus and of Ind far / Outshone the wealth.”

Milton used anastrophe to add a poetic touch to his epic poem.

5. Emily Dickinson – “Because I could not stop for Death” (c. 1862):
   • Original: “And I had put away / My labor and my leisure too, / For His Civility—”
   • Anastrophe: “And I had put away / For His Civility— my labor and my leisure too.”

Dickinson’s unconventional style often included the use of anastrophe to create a unique poetic voice.

6. Edgar Allan Poe – “The Raven” (1845):
   • Original: “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing.”
   • Anastrophe: “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there fearing, wondering.”

Poe utilized anastrophe to enhance the mysterious and eerie atmosphere in his works.

7. Alexander Pope – “The Rape of the Lock” (1712):
   • Original: “There died the best of passions, Love and Fame.”
   • Anastrophe: “There died the best of passions, Fame and Love.”

Pope often employed anastrophe for satirical and rhetorical purposes in his poetry.

These examples showcase how anastrophe is used by various authors across different time periods and genres to achieve specific stylistic or rhetorical effects in their writing.

Anastrophe in Literature: Relevance in Literary Theories

Author, Work, and Example	Relevance in Literary Theories
William Wordsworth “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” (1798) Example: “Of elevated thoughts, a presence that disturbs me with the joy.”	Romanticism – Enhancing natural and rhythmic flow.
William Shakespeare “Hamlet” (c. 1600) Example: “To thine own self be true: this above all.”	Renaissance Drama – Dramatic and rhetorical emphasis.
Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities” (1859) Example: “So many hundred hands in this last week have helped to give it, that it is difficult to say whose.”	Victorian Prose – Enhancing prose rhythm and readability.
John Milton “Paradise Lost” (1667) Example: “High on a throne of royal state, which of Ormus and of Ind far / Outshone the wealth.”	Epic Poetry – Adding a poetic touch to the narrative.
Emily Dickinson “Because I could not stop for Death” (c. 1862) Example: “And I had put away / For His Civility— my labor and my leisure too.”	American Romanticism – Unique voice and expression.
Edgar Allan Poe “The Raven” (1845) Example: “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there fearing, wondering.”	Gothic Literature – Enhancing mysterious atmosphere.
Alexander Pope “The Rape of the Lock” (1712) Example: “There died the best of passions, Fame and Love.”	Augustan Satire – Rhetorical and satirical purposes.

Anastrophe in Literature: Relevant Terms

1. Anastrophe: Inversion of the usual word order for emphasis or poetic effect.
2. Metaphor: Figurative language that suggests a direct comparison between unrelated things.
3. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in close proximity.
4. Foreshadowing: Hinting at future events in a narrative to create anticipation.
5. Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality, often with a twist.
6. Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal meaning.
7. Personification: Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.
8. Hyperbole: Exaggeration for emphasis or effect.
9. Simile: A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as.”
10. Juxtaposition: Placing two elements side by side to highlight their contrasting

Anastrophe in Literature: Suggested Readings

Literary Works:

1. Dickinson, Emily. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson, Back Bay Books, 1976.
2. Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Chapman and Hall, 1859.
3. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Edited by Gordon Teskey, W. W. Norton & Company, 2005.
4. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Raven and Other Poems. Dover Publications, 1991.
5. Pope, Alexander. The Rape of the Lock. Edited by Cynthia Wall, Broadview Press, 2006.
6. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Harold Jenkins, Arden Shakespeare, 1982.
7. Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. Edited by R.L. Brett and A.R. Jones, Oxford University Press, 2008.

Theory Books :

1. Abrams, M. H., and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Cengage Learning, 2014.
2. Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2011.
3. Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. Wiley, 2008.
4. Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton University Press, 2000.
5. Leitch, Vincent B., et al. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.