Free Verse: An Essay on Prosody (Princeton Legacy Library, 2809)

To make sense of free verse'in theory or in practice, the whole study of prosody--the function of rhythm in poetry--must be revised and rethought. Stating this as the issue that poets and critics have faced in the past century, Charles Hartman takes up the challenge and develops a theory of prosody that includes the most characteristic forms of twentieth-century poetry.Originally published in 1981.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. To make sense of "free verse" in theory or in practice, the study of prosody - the function of rhythm in poetry - must be revised and rethought. In Free Verse: An Essay on Prosody, Charles Hartman develops a theory of prosody that includes the most characteristic forms of twentieth-century poetry. Hartman examines nonmetrical verse, discusses the conventions that have emerged in the absence of meter, and shows how these conventions can work prosodically. By analyzing the work of Williams and Eliot - the prosodic masters among the early modernists - Hartman traces their influence on more contemporary poets. In his exploration of the means by which a poet controls the reader's temporal experience of poetry. Hartman presents an invaluable treatment of the concept of verse. To make sense of free verse"" in theory or in practice, the whole study of prosody--the function of rhythm in poetry--must be revised and rethought. Stating this as the issue that poets and critics have faced in the past century, Charles Hartman takes up the challenge and develops a theory of prosody that includes the most characteristic forms of twentieth-century poetry Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. Thes CONTENTS 6 Acknowledgments 8 Preface 10 Introduction 14 The Prehistory of Free Verse 14 Chapter One 21 Some Definitions 21 Chapter Two 40 Accentmlism, Isochrony, and the Musical Fallacy 40 Chapter Three 56 Free Verse and Prose 56 Chapter Four 72 Counterpoint 72 Chapter Five 92 The Discovery of Form 92 Chapter Six 117 The Discovery of Meter 117 Chapter Seven 141 Free Verse and Poetry 141 Chapter Eight 155 Some Contemporaries 155 Appendix 184 Full Texts of Three Quoted Poems 184 Notes 190 List of References 198 Index 206 Charles O. Hartman. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [187]-193.