Polysyndeton
In rhetoric, polysyndeton is the repeated application of conjunctions to connect a sequence of words, clauses, or sentences. Polysyndeton is contrary to asyndeton [Baldick, p. 199].
Polysyndeton is the opposite of asyndeton, and therefore it is the repetition of conjunctions. This rhetoric and literary technique are broadly used in verse and prose. The most commonly used conjunction in English is ‘and’ [Cuddon, p. 547-548].
Polysyndeton is a literary and rhetoric device that uses numerous repetitions of the exact conjunction (for example, and, but, if, etc.). The word polysyndeton originates from the Greek meaning “bound together” [LiteraryTerms].
Polysyndeton is a rhetorical and literary device in which conjunction repeatedly appears to link various thoughts in one sentence [MasterClass].
According to Thomas Kane, "polysyndeton and asyndeton are different ways to handle a list or a series. Polysyndeton places conjunctions after every word in the list except the last one, while asyndeton uses no conjunctions and separates the terms of the list with commas. Both differ from the typical treatment of lists and series, where only commas between all items except the last two (joined by conjunction) are used [ThoughtCo].
⠀ Chris Baldick. (2015). The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
⠀ Cuddon J.A. (2013). A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
⠀ Learn how polysyndeton functions in literature. MasterClass. Retrieved from: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-how-polysyndeton-functions-in-literature#6-polysyndeton-examples-in-literature.