H is for ... HOMOCONSONANTISM

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So today is the 9th of April, which must mean that it's the eigth day of the A to Z challenge.  I've decided to share my love of writing through this challenge, and hopefully introduce people to the world of Oulipo.  I first heard about Oulipo when I was at university, and I was fascinated by their approach to writing that I decided to delve deeper into the world of experimental writing.

In a nutshell, this group of writers likes to assign constraints to their work in order to push creative boundaries.  Not only is this fun to do (the process of writing something with a constraint really does open the mind), the results are brilliant.



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H is for ... HOMOCONSONANTISM

"The sequence of consonants in a source text is kept while all its vowels are replaced." 

Oulipo Compendium ed. Harry Matthews & Alastiar Brotchie (London: Atlas Press, 2005) page 157.

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You can try this with a well known text, or mix up some of your own poetry to create something new.

The Tyger by William Blake
Tyger!  Tyger!  burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

tyg r tyg r b rn ng br ght
 n th f r sts  f th n ght
wh t  mm rt l h nd  r  y
c  ld fr m  thy f  rf l symm try

A toy great, you grab, ruining brig heat
No, the first safe thing, hot
white ammo, rot, lo, hound ray
cold for mouthy fur, feel, say, maumet rya


Wowzers, that makes no sense at all!  But it was really, really difficult so I think I should be forgiven!  That shouldn't stop you giving it a go though!