Description
Book SynopsisThe first introduction to rhythm and meter that begins where students are as speakers of English familiar with the rhythms of popular song Poetic Rhythm moves, with straightforward terminology and frequent practical exercises, from basic questions about the rhythms of spoken English to the elaborate achievements of past and present poets.
Trade Review'At long, long last here is the text that may well revolutionise our perception and analysis of poetry and shift attention from image-play and patterning to the rightful primacy of speech rhythms and metricality … Derek Attridge propounds invaluable theoretical concepts as well as applied techniques … Bliss!' Richard Taylor, Modern Language Review
' … an exceptional introduction to the rhythmic aspects of poetry which manages to be a the same time insightful and perfectly readable.' Buchbesprechungen
Table of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgments; On using this book; 1. The rhythms of poetry: a first approach; 2. The rhythms of spoken English; 3. Dancing language; 4. Stress verse and strong-stress verse: counting the beats; 5. Syllable-stress verse: versatility and variation; 6. Major types of syllable-stress verse; 7. Free verse: metrical and rhythmic analysis; 8. Phrasal movement; Appendix 1. Scansion; Appendix 2. Glossary; Appendix 3. Sources of examples; Appendix 4. Suggested responses to the exercises.
