In this Book
- Versification: A Short Introduction
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: Michigan State University Press
Versification: A Short Introduction is written by one of Australia's most distinguished poets. The book discusses poetic meter, and may be the only source you need. McAuley devotes a short chapter to versification based on accent, syllable count, free verse and "classical" meters, but the book as a whole focuses on metrical verse and its constant reference back to stress in normal speech—it suceeds in showing meterical verse as a natural outgrowth of what we do naturally. This dispels quickly any sense of the esoteric—poetry is of and for people in general not for a special literati. After establishing meter in the normal sphere of speech, McAuley then discusses how abstract meterical patterns are actually applied and how variety is added to avoid a sing-song effect.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. iii-iv
- Acknowledgements
- p. viii
- I. From Stress to Metre
- pp. 1-13
- II. Metrical Variation
- pp. 14-27
- IV. The Actual Line of Spoken Verse
- pp. 45-49
- V. Other Elements of Variety
- pp. 50-68
- VI. Other Systems of Versification
- pp. 69-73
- A Short Glossary
- pp. 74-83
Additional Information
Copyright
1996