Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER I MILTON Studies of Milton's prosody frequent--Reasons for this--The early minor pieces--The Nativity Hymn--The Arcades, etc.--Note on Translations, note--The octosyllabic group--The Sonnets-- Lycidas--Originality of its form--Compared with Spenser-- Analysis--Rationale of the system--The blank verse--Comus --Paradise Lost--The abjuration of rhyme--Examination of the verse -- Apostrophation -- Paradise Regained -- Samson Agonistes--Attempts, to systematise apparent anomaly--Mr. Bridges' view--Discussion of it--Contrast of it with our system --The printing argument -- Cacophonies--The "scanned not pronounced" argument--Classical parallels and comparisons--The true prosodic position of Milton -- Conclusion on uncontentious points. THERE is no English writer on whose prosody so much studies of in proportion has been written as on Milton's; and the reasons for this are sufficiently evident, though perhaps frequent, the strongest of all in reality is not so apparent as some others, and the most apparent of all is not the strongest. This last is the towering reputation of Milton as a poet; yet Shakespeare is in that respect even greater, and in proportion Shakespeare's prosody has received far less attention. But then it is a vast, and on some not Reasons for uncommonly accepted theories of the subject, a ratherth'5' hopeless example; while Milton's looks comparatively plain sailing. Further, there is an obvious and piquant contrast - progress of the sort which attracts study, in the poet's successive devotion to rhyme and solemnly proclaimed apostasy from it, and in the hardening and ossifying of the form of blank verse that he preferred. Thirdly, there is the point--obvious again to everybody likely to take the slightest interest in...
