Question

What is the meter in the following excerpt from “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll? 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe A. iambic tetrameter (The foot has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This pattern repeats four times in each line.) B. trochaic trimeter (The foot has a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. This pattern repeats three times in each line.) C. iambic trimeter (The foot has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This pattern repeats three times in each line.) D. trochaic tetrameter (The foot has a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. This pattern repeats four times in each line.)

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. Iambic tetrameter (The foot has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This pattern repeats four times in each line).

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe

In the excerpt the first syllable is not stressed, and it is followed by a stressed syllable; this is called a iamb. This was common in Greek comedies and tragedies.

This pattern is repeated four times during the verses, so it is a tetrameter.