Joyce and the Science of Rhythm (New Directions in Irish and Irish American Literature)

This book situates Joyce's critical writings within the context of an emerging discourse on the psychology of rhythm, suggesting that A Portrait of the Artist dramatizes the experience of rhythm as the subject matter of the modernist novel. Including comparative analyses of the lyrical prose of Virginia Woolf and the 'cadences' of the Imagists, Martin outlines a new concept of the 'modern period' that describes the interaction between poetry and prose in the literature of the early twentieth century. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-32 “If Thou but Scan it Well”....Pages 33-66 “The Most Commonplace Conversation”....Pages 67-104 “The Curve of an Emotion”....Pages 105-141 “Acatalectic Tetrameter of Iambs Marching”....Pages 143-189 Conclusion....Pages 191-203 Back Matter....Pages 205-223