Poetic Rhythm: An Introduction

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Cambridge University Press, Sep 28, 1995 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 274 pages
This is the first introduction to rhythm and meter that begins where students are: as speakers of English familiar with the rhythms of ordinary spoken language, and of popular verse such as nursery rhymes, songs, and rap. Poetic rhythm builds on this knowledge and experience, taking the reader from the most basic questions about the rhythms of spoken English to the elaborate achievements of past and present poets. Terminology is straightforward, the simple system of scansion that is introduced is suitable for both handwriting and computer use, and there are frequent practical exercises. Chapters deal with the elements of verse, English speech rhythms, the major types of metrical poetry, free verse, and the role of sense and syntax. Poetic rhythm will help readers of poetry experience and enjoy its rhythms in all their power, subtlety, and diversity, and will serve as an invaluable tool for those who wish to write or discuss poetry in English at a basic as well as a more advanced level.

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Contents

The rhythms of poetry a first approach
1
Some basic terms
3
2 Verse
5
4 Meter and metrical verse
6
5 Beat
9
Types of meter
11
1 The poem in general
12
2 Within the poem
15
Summary
95
Syllablestress verse versatility and variation
97
Duple syllablestress meter
100
2 Rising and falling rhythms
106
3 Beats and offbeats demotion and promotion
108
4 Inversion
115
5 Free double offbeats
125
6 Elision
126

Summary
19
The rhythms of spoken English
21
Syllables
24
Stress
26
1 Wordstress
27
2 Phrasal stress
32
Speech rhythms
35
2 Stress groups
38
3 Alternation
39
Summary
41
Dancing language
43
How does language become metrical?
48
The fourbeat rhythm
53
2 Actual and virtual beats
58
Summary
62
Stress verse and strongstress verse counting the beats
63
1 Beats and the scansion of stress verse
64
2 Offbeats
66
3 Demotion
70
4 Promotion
74
5 Quadruple verse
77
6 Duple and triple meters
80
7 Demotion and promotion in triple verse
82
8 Rising and falling rhythms
85
Strongstress meter
87
2 Rap
90
7 Emphatic stress
131
8 Heading and scanning duple syllablestress verse
134
Triple syllablestress meter
138
Footscansion
140
Summary
144
Major types of syllablestress verse
147
Resisting the fourbyfour formation
153
Iambic pentameter
159
2 The movement of fivebeat verse
162
Summary
165
Free verse metrical and rhythmic analysis
167
Metrical analysis
172
Rhythmic analysis
177
Summary
181
Phrasal movement
182
Analyzing phrasal movement in a poem
190
Some basic principles
200
Phrasing in free verse
202
Summary
209
Scansion
210
Singleline scansion
213
Glossary
216
Sources of examples
226
Suggested responses to the exercises
232
Index
266
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