Description
Book SynopsisPoet, Thomas Carper, and scholar, Derek Attridge, join forces in Meter and Meaning to present an illuminating and user-friendly way to explore the rhythms of poetry in English. They begin by showing the value of performing any poem aloud, so that we can sense its unique use of rhythm. From this starting point they suggest an entirely fresh, jargon-free approach to reading poetry. Illustrating their 'beat/offbeat' method with a series of exercises, they help readers to appreciate the use of rhythm in poems of all periods and to understand the vital relationship between meter and meaning.
Beginning with the very basics, Meter and Meaning enables a smooth progression to an advanced knowledge of poetic rhythms. It is the essential guide to meter for anyone who wants to study, write, better appreciate, or simply enjoy poetry. Carper and Attridge make studying meter a pleasure and reading poetry a revelation.
Trade Review'This is far and away the most accessible, effective and enjoyable introduction to meter I have come across. I have nothing but admiration for what the writers have done.' - Rob Pope, Oxford Brookes University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction. 1. Basic Rhythms. Further Practice. 2. Beats: B , b, [B]. Further Practice. 3. Offbeats: o , O , -o- , [o] , ô. Further Practice. 4. Scan-ning Poems. Further Practice. 5. Rhythmic Figures. 6. Names and Labels. 7. Meter and Meaning. 8. Identifying Meters and Stanza-forms. Where to Go from Here. Scansion Symbols. Afterword. Index
