Episode 22

Pleonasms

In this episode, host Charlotte dives into pleonasm, the use of seemingly unnecessary or doubled words, and asks whether excess language can still be purposeful, beautiful, or emotionally effective. Through close readings of poems by Mary Oliver and Stephen Sexton, this episode explores how repetition and reinforcement can deepen themes of comfort, ownership, memory, and beauty. Rather than treating pleonasm as a mistake, this conversation embraces it as a poetic tool, examining how even the smallest word choices can quietly reshape a poem’s emotional weight.

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