Versification: A Short Introduction

by James McAuley

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087013096X
• ISBN13: 9780870130960
• Release Date: March 1996
• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Length: 84 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Prime Primer

"Versification: A Short Introduction" provides a perfect start for the person looking to dabble with verse. The author gets straight to the point with clear, dense prose and plenty of examples. McAuley's method of teaching versification is to build ways of articulating the sounds of poetry starting with metrical accent to stress to natural language reading, to various irregular forms, specific sounds and modern systems. A strength of the book is that McAuley does not shy away from noting the points of contention in versification, briefly noting both viewpoints before coming to his conclusion. Something to takeaway from the book is that prosody is not a perfect expression of language and is not meant to be. Generally, it must be accepted that verse will fit a regular pattern, and all irregularities will be accounted for, but that this is not always the case is made clear, though not always in a convincing manner. The many examples in the book are taken primarily from canonical literature making me slightly weary - could the author not have taken some contemporary verse as examples? It would have been a breath of fresh air. Likewise, McAuley's look at modern versification techniques is lacking. His introduction to so-called "accentual verse" is especially lacking, but this should not bother those looking for a sturdy introduction to classical prosody. Overall, "Versification: A Short Introduction" is a worthwhile primer for every poet, student or dabbler in the art. It's a short read filled with excellent information that could easily be returned to for reference. Though by no means comprehensive, it serves its purpose well.

The primary reference for stress & meter in English poetry

If you wish to understand poetic meter, this is the only source you need. He does devote a short final chapter to versification based on accent, syllable count, free verse and "classical" meters but the book as a whole focuses on metrical verse.What makes this book a classic is 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, he then goes on to discuss how the abstract meterical patterns are actually applied and how variety is added to avoid the sing-song effect.The only flaw in the book is that examples tend to be extracts rather than full poems, but that is appropriate for the intended use of the book "a short introduction" as claimed by its subtitle.This is the only book on English versification you will ever need.