Canto - one of the main or larger divisions of a long poem. It is also used to denote a singing or chanting section of a poem, or a subdivision of an epic or narrative (comparable to a chapter in a novel).
The word is taken from the Italian, which originally took it from the Latin cantus, meaning “song.”
Dante’s The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.
Source: MAXnotes to Guide to Literary Terms, ©2000 Research and Education Association, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
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