The polysyndeton is a figure of speech.
Polysyndeton is a term that comes from the Latin polysyndeton , although the most distant etymological root is found in the Greek language. It is a rhetorical figure that is based on the repetition of conjunctions to reinforce the expressiveness of a notion.
This implies that, when this figure is used, propositions or terms will be linked through a greater number of conjunctions than would be normal or correct.
Examples of polysyndeton
An example of polysyndeton would be the following: "I love the sand and the sea and the palm trees and the seagulls and the sun that illuminates me in my days of glory." As can be seen, the excessive repetition of the conjunction "and" constitutes a polysyndeton.
"I'm going to visit you but when the time is right but it's difficult for that time to come but I always want to visit you" is another example of an expression that appeals to polysyndeton. In this case, the conjunction that is repeated is "but" .
With the conjunction "nor" , a sample of polysyndeton would be the following: "I am not a communist or socialist or liberal or anarchist or developmentalist or progressive or conservative: I simply am."
The polysyndeton consists of a repetition of conjunctions.
Use of this figure
It is worth mentioning that the polysyndeton is not a figure in widespread use, since it gives the expression a structure that can be uncomfortable. Its use appears in specific cases, when the author wishes to give his text a certain poetic flight and, in turn, highlight an emotion or a thought . In other contexts, polysyndeton could be understood as an error or as an inappropriate way of expressing oneself.
Some of the writers who have made masterful use of the polysyndeton, also indicating one of the works in which it is possible to find this figure, are Rubén Darío ( "Canción..." and "Lo fatal" ), Mariano José de Larra ( "La Noche "Good of 1836" ), Emilia Pardo Bazán ( "The Revolver" ), José Martí ( "Our America" ), Miguel de Unamuno ( "My Religion" and "San Manuel Bueno, Mártir" ) and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer ( "La Pereza" » ).
It is important to note that polysyndeton has not only been included in several of the most important works of literature worldwide, both in the genre of poetry and narrative, but we can also find it in contemporary song lyrics.
The polysyndeton and the asyndeton
The rhetorical figure opposite or complementary to polysyndeton is called asyndeton and consists of the omission of certain conjunctions with the aim of energizing or enlivening an idea. For example: "For this party we want to invite our friends, our family, those who have collaborated with our project from the first day." Just like polysyndeton, it is a not very common resource and should not be abused, since it can cause the opposite effect to the desired one.
In the same way as with the polysyndeton, the asyndeton has been used by many of the great writers in history, and continues to be an enriching resource for current works in various genres; Let's look at some of the most outstanding examples: Manuel Mantero ( "En lo alto" ), Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer ( "La pereza" and "El Monte de las Ánimas" ), Mariano José Larra ( "La Noche Buena de 1836" ) and José Martí ( "My race" ).
In all the works mentioned as examples of polysyndeton and asyndeton it is possible to notice enumerations in which various effects are sought through the excessive repetition of conjunctions or their omission, but it is also seen that the use of these figures does not always occur in isolated form, but can be built little by little, to generate an increasingly greater tension. In a poem, for example, the presence of these resources can be highlighted through the contrast between verses that use them and others that do not.