Structure and Autonomy in Tanka Sets and Sequences

When submitting tanka in sets and sequences to Atlas Poetica, the following criteria should be met:

1) autonomy -- each verse must be autonomous. That is to say, the content and grammar must be self-contained and make sense on its own.

2) gestalt -- the sum must be greater than the parts.

3) necessity -- if a verse can be omitted without damaging the set or sequence, it should be.

4) structure -- there must be some organizing principle tying the set or sequence together.

5) discipline -- the set or sequence must say what it has to say, then stop.

6) compactness -- the individual verses and set or sequence as a whole should imply more than it states, it should have what Denis Garrison calls 'dreaming room.'

7) flow -- especially necessary for longer sets and sequences, there must be movement within the length that helps to sustain and reward the reader's interest.

I have written at length on structure and autonomy, which can be found in my article, "Structure and Autonomy in Tanka Sets and Sequences," published in MET5.

~K~