The Rhythms of English PoetryExamines the way in which poetry in English makes use of rhythm. The author argues that there are three major influences which determine the verse-forms used in any language: the natural rhythm of the spoken language itself; the properties of rhythmic form; and the metrical conventions which have grown up within the literary tradition. He investigates these in order to explain the forms of English verse, and to show how rhythm and metre work as an essential part of the reader's experience of poetry. |
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Page 6
... trochee x x pyrrhic foot or pyrrhic / / spondaic foot or spondee x x / anapaestic foot or anapaest / x x dactylic foot or dactyl (b) Types of line monometer one foot dimeter two feet trimeter three feet tetrameter four feet pentameter ...
... trochee x x pyrrhic foot or pyrrhic / / spondaic foot or spondee x x / anapaestic foot or anapaest / x x dactylic foot or dactyl (b) Types of line monometer one foot dimeter two feet trimeter three feet tetrameter four feet pentameter ...
Page 7
... trochee can be substituted for an iamb, and vice versa; and a spondee or a pyrrhic for either. The following lines will serve as an illustration, the lower set of symbols indicating the basic metre, and the upper set the actual stresses ...
... trochee can be substituted for an iamb, and vice versa; and a spondee or a pyrrhic for either. The following lines will serve as an illustration, the lower set of symbols indicating the basic metre, and the upper set the actual stresses ...
Page 8
... trochee by a dactyl. Thus in the following example the iambic tetrameters are varied by means of an occasional anapaestic substitution (I show only the substituted feet on the upper level): XX / x / nian star X / x / (6) The Ba bylo X x ...
... trochee by a dactyl. Thus in the following example the iambic tetrameters are varied by means of an occasional anapaestic substitution (I show only the substituted feet on the upper level): XX / x / nian star X / x / (6) The Ba bylo X x ...
Page 13
... trochee, 'heav'n with', for an iamb (I have used the spelling 'heav'n' to indicate the monosyllabic pronunciation common in Shakespeare's time). The reader responding directly to the verse is not conscious of any underlying, abstract ...
... trochee, 'heav'n with', for an iamb (I have used the spelling 'heav'n' to indicate the monosyllabic pronunciation common in Shakespeare's time). The reader responding directly to the verse is not conscious of any underlying, abstract ...
Page 41
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Contents
Rhythm | 57 |
Metre | 145 |
Practice | 283 |
RULES AND SCANSION | 357 |
Bibliography | 363 |
Sources of examples | 376 |
Index | 388 |
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Common terms and phrases
accentual-syllabic verse alternation anapaestic B B B B Ceolred chapter classical approach common metre complex create David Abercrombie deviation discussion distinction double offbeat duple metre duple verse emphasis English metre English verse example falling rhythm five-beat line following line four-beat line four-beat rhythm four-beat verse function iambic pentameter implied offbeat initial inversion initial offbeat language linguistic literary metrical form metrical pattern metrical rules metrical set metrical structure metrical style metrical subordination metrical theory metrist movement nonstresses occur offbeat condition optional pause perceived perception phonetic phonological phrase poem poetic poetry poets promotion pronunciation prosody reader reading rhyme rhythmic form rhythmic structure rhythmic unit scansion semantic sense sequence single offbeat speech rhythms stanza stress contour stress pattern stress-final pairing stress-initial pairing stress-timing stressed and unstressed strong syllable count syntactic break syntax tension tradition triple metre triple rhythm triple verse trochaic trochee underlying rhythm unrealised beat unstressed syllables words