Anastrophe | Examples & Definition

Anastrophe is the inversion of the usual word order in a sentence, placing the emphasis on one or more of the words that have been reversed. This technique is commonly used in prose and poetry where its surprising word order can create a memorable phrase or help to preserve the meter or rhyme scheme.

Anastrophe definition

Anastrophe (also called inversion) is a literary device in which the usual word order in a sentence is rearranged for effect. In English, it typically involves placing words or phrases in an unusual sequence that differs from the standard subject-verb-object construction. Breaking the expected word order places emphasis on the misplaced words.

The word “anastrophe” comes from the Greek words “ana” (meaning “back”) and “strophē” (meaning “turn”), together indicating a “turning back” or “inversion.” Anastrophe is a form of hyperbaton, a broader term that refers to any inversion of the normal word order in a sentence. However, sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.

Anastrophe examples

The opening line from Virgil’s Aeneid (in John Dryden’s translation) is famous in Western literature and has been widely imitated, also due to its dramatic use of anastrophe. Reversing the normal word order immediately draws attention to the themes of the epic: “arms” (warfare) and “man” (the Trojan hero Aeneas).

In the passage below, Edgar Allen Poe uses anastrophe to emphasize the narrator’s lack of motivation to commit murder. It is also a stylistic choice that reflects the disturbed mental state of the protagonist.

Shakespeare uses anastrophe at the end of the following lines to preserve the rhythmic structure of the sonnet. This allows him to end each of these lines with an action verb, emphasizing the changing nature of summer (and by extension, beauty, which is the theme of the sonnet).

Related rhetorical devices

The following rhetorical devices are similar to anastrophe as they also involve an artful rearrangement of words or ideas.

• Antimetabole. Repetition of the same words or phrases in successive clauses or sentences, but in reverse order. For example, “All you need is love, love is all you need.”
• Epistrophe. Ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words, as in Lincoln’s “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
• Chiasmus. Repetition of ideas or grammatical structures in inverted order, without necessarily repeating words. For example, “Love without end, and without measure grace.”

Frequently asked questions about anastrophe

What is an example of anastrophe?

An example of anastrophe can be found in the following lines of the folk ballad “The Mermaid”: “Then up spoke the captain of our gallant ship/And a well-spoken man was he.” The normal word order would be “Then the captain of our gallant ship spoke up/And he was a well-spoken man,” but the order is shifted for poetic or lyrical effect.

What is the difference between inversion and anastrophe?

Inversion and anastrophe are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference between them.

Inversion is a general term referring to any deviation from the standard subject-verb-object structure in English. This often occurs for grammatical reasons, for example in questions.

Anastrophe, on the other hand, refers to a specific type of inversion used for stylistic or rhetorical effect.

In literature, inversion is anastrophe when it serves an artistic purpose such as emphasizing, creating mood, or altering rhythm. However, not all inversions are examples of anastrophe.

What is the difference between hyperbaton and anastrophe?

Hyperbaton and anastrophe both involve the rearrangement of word order for rhetorical effect, but they differ in scope.

Hyperbaton is a broader term referring to any deviation from the typical or expected word order in a sentence. Hyperbaton can affect multiple parts of the sentence, phrases, or clauses, not just individual words.

Anastrophe is a narrower term and usually involves swapping the usual order of two adjacent elements like an adjective and noun or a verb and subject.

In short, anastrophe is a subset of hyperbaton, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.