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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 75
Page vi
... poets, taking account not only of what they have written, but also of what they have chosen not to write. Finally, Part Four focuses on the critical implications of rhythmic form, considered generally in terms of its poetic functions ...
... poets, taking account not only of what they have written, but also of what they have chosen not to write. Finally, Part Four focuses on the critical implications of rhythmic form, considered generally in terms of its poetic functions ...
Page x
... Poem VII' by Geoffrey Hill Mercian Hymns 1971; Faber & Faber Ltd and New Directions Publishing Corp for the poem 'In a Station of the Metro' Collected Shorter Poems by Ezra Pound reprinted by permission of Faber & Faber Ltd. Ezra Pound ...
... Poem VII' by Geoffrey Hill Mercian Hymns 1971; Faber & Faber Ltd and New Directions Publishing Corp for the poem 'In a Station of the Metro' Collected Shorter Poems by Ezra Pound reprinted by permission of Faber & Faber Ltd. Ezra Pound ...
Page xiv
... poets. The syllables of the English language, unlike those of Greek and Latin, had not been definitively classified by means of minutely detailed rules and the hallowed example of great poets, and any attempt to scan English verse by ...
... poets. The syllables of the English language, unlike those of Greek and Latin, had not been definitively classified by means of minutely detailed rules and the hallowed example of great poets, and any attempt to scan English verse by ...
Page xv
... poets; but he does not associate it specifically with the classical iambic foot. Three years later, however, Thomas Blenerhasset, commenting on the metre of his 'Complaint of Cadwallader', states that it 'agreeth very well with the ...
... poets; but he does not associate it specifically with the classical iambic foot. Three years later, however, Thomas Blenerhasset, commenting on the metre of his 'Complaint of Cadwallader', states that it 'agreeth very well with the ...
Page xix
... poem may be in a predominantly rising or falling rhythm, but this aspect of verse, though affected by the way lines begin and end, is not a product of any division into feet. Yet some writers on metre go further, predicating and ...
... poem may be in a predominantly rising or falling rhythm, but this aspect of verse, though affected by the way lines begin and end, is not a product of any division into feet. Yet some writers on metre go further, predicating and ...
Contents
THE RHYTHMS OF ENGLISH SPEECH | 8 |
THE FOURBEAT RHYTHM | 25 |
THE FIVEBEAT RHYTHM | |
WHAT IS A METRICAL RULE? | |
THE FUNCTIONS OF POETIC RHYTHM | |
SOME EXAMPLES | |
RULES AND SCANSION | |
Bibliography | |
Sources of examples | |
Index | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
accentual-syllabic verse alternation anapaestic chapter common metre complex create David Abercrombie demotion deviation dipodic rhythm discussion distinction double offbeat duple metre duple verse duration emphasis English metre English speech English verse example falling rhythm five-beat line five-beat rhythm four-beat line four-beat rhythm four-beat verse function iambic pentameter implied offbeat initial inversion initial offbeat language line-end linguistic metrical form metrical pattern metrical rules metrical set metrical structure metrical style metrical theory movement nonstresses nursery rhymes occur offbeat condition organisation pause perceived perception phonetic phonological phrase poem poetic poetry poets pronunciation prosody reader reading realised rhythmic form rhythmic structure rhythmic unit rising rhythm scansion semantic sense sequence single offbeat sounds speech rhythms stanza stress contour stress pattern stress-final pairing stress-timing stressed and unstressed strong syllable count syntactic break syntax tendency tension triple metre triple rhythm triple verse trochaic trochee underlying rhythm unrealised beat unstressed syllables variation words