A Study of Versification

This is a simple textbook for the beginner, to serve as an introduction to the study of English versification. There are many volumes devoted to the analysis of poetry, but there are few which confine themselves wholly to the problems of prosody; and scarcely any one of these is exactly adapted to the needs of the novice who knows little or nothing about the principles of the metrical art. The aim of this book is to explain to the inquirer the technic of verse-making and to show him how the poets have been able to achieve their effects. It sets forth what I believe to be the fundamental principle of the art - that all poetry is to be said or sung, and that its appeal is to the ear and not to the eye. At the time of original publication in 1911, Brander Matthews was Professor of Dramatic Literature in Columbia University, and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.