Consonance is a literary device that involves the repetition of consonant sounds within words or phrases, often at the end or middle of words rather than the beginning.
An alliteration is a form of consonance that focuses on initial sounds. However, in general, consonance creates harmony and rhythm through repeated consonant sounds irrespective of their placement.
Consonance is commonly used in poetry for its pleasant or sonorous effects.
For instance, we see consonance being used in McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer to great effect:
Applauding youths laughed with young prostitutes
And watched her perfect, half-clothed body sway;
Her voice was like the sound of blended flutes
Blown by black players upon a picnic day.
She sang and danced on gracefully and calm, [5]
The light gauze hanging loose about her form;
To me she seemed a proudly-swaying palm
Grown lovelier for passing through a storm.
Upon her swarthy neck black shiny curls
Luxuriant fell; and tossing coins in praise, [10]
The wine-flushed, bold-eyed boys, and even the girls,
Devoured her shape with eager, passionate gaze;
But looking at her falsely-smiling face,
I knew her self was not in that strange place.
The poet used consonance alongside assonance or repetition of vowel sounds to imitate the sound effect of what is being described—thunderous applause at a bar or nightclub:
Applauding youths laughed with young prostitutes
The repeated sounds of p and t mixed with the "u" vowel sounds give that impression. It also helps that the word "applaud" has its own internal consonance that reflects the meaning of what it explains.
Why do Writers use consonance?
Writers use consonance to achieve several effects in their work. Let’s take a look at each.
1. Musicality and rhythm. The repetition of consonant sounds can give a piece of writing a lyrical or meditative quality, enhancing its emotional impact. Consonance is particularly effective in poetry, where sound and structure are integral to the text.
2. Emphasis. Particular words, phrases, or themes can be highlighted through consonance. By repeating specific sounds, authors draw the reader's attention to key ideas or emotions.
3. Pleasant effect. Sometimes consonance just sounds good. For example, in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30:
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
The consonance that results from repeating the “s” and “t” sounds in this line is simply pleasant to the ear and requires no further justification. However, consonance works best when it matches meaning with sound. Let’s take a look at an example of this occurring:
Noyes, “The Highwayman” (1901):
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard.
Here, consonance is used alongside alliteration and onomatopeia to recreate the sound of a horseman riding over cobblestones.
Yeats does the same in “Leda and the Swan” (1923):
A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.
By using the words “staggering” and “girl” in succession of each other, the awkward and guttural “g” sounds give the impression of someone losing their balance and falling. We struggle just as much as Leda does to escape Zeus when we try to pronounce the phrase “staggering girl.”
Examples of consonance
Here are five examples of consonance in literature, illustrating its effective use:
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 64:
When I have seen by Time’s fell hand defaced
The repeated “t” and “d” sounds mirror the passage of time and decay, reinforcing the somber tone of the sonnet.
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Poe’s use of repeated “s” sounds evokes the actual sound of curtains rustling and recreates the lonely quiet atmosphere of someone sitting alone in a room.
Dylan Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
The “g” sounds in “rage” and “dying” create an insistent, almost growling quality, emphasizing defiance and urgency.
4. Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
. . .
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The soft “w” and “s” sounds in “whose woods these are” reflect the quiet and reflective mood of the scene. Also, we can venture to go further and suggest that the “w” sounds echo the sound effect of the wind mentioned in the poem: “The only other sound’s the sweep / Of easy wind.”
In addition, “sound’s the sweep of easy wind” has a special form of consonance called sibilance, which is the repetition of close “s” sounds. This has the effect of reproducing the sound of wind softly whistling through the snow and trees.
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Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, November 17). What Is Consonance? https://www.eminentediting.com/post/what-is-consonance |
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