Wikipedia

Free verse

Not to be confused withBlank verse.

Free verseis an open form ofpoetrywhich does not use a prescribed or regularmeterorrhyme[1]and tends to follow the rhythm ofnaturalor irregular speech. Free verse encompasses a large range of poetic form, and the distinction between free verse and other forms (such as prose) is often ambiguous.[2][3]

A free verse poem by E. E. Cummings
Is 5byE. E. Cummings,an example of free verse.

History

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Though individual examples of English free verse poetry surfaced before the 20th-century (parts of John Milton'sSamson Agonistesor the majority ofWalt Whitman's poetry, for example),[2]free verse is generally considered an early 20th century innovation of the late 19th-century Frenchvers libre.[2][4]

T. E. HulmeandF. S. Flintfirst introduced the form to the London-basedPoets' Clubin 1909.[5]This later became the heart of theImagistmovement[6]through Flint's advocacy of the genre.[7]Imagism, in the wake of French Symbolism (i.e. vers libre of French Symbolist poets[8]) was the wellspring out of which the main current ofModernismin English flowed.[9]T. S. Eliotlater identified this as "the point de repere usually taken as the starting point of modern poetry,"[10]as hundreds of poets were led to adopt vers libre as their medium.[11]

Definition

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It is said that verse is free "when it is not primarily obtained by the metered line."[12]Free verse does not "proceed by a strict set of rules… is not a literary type, and does not conform to a formal structure," but it is not considered to be completely free. In 1948, Charles Allen wrote, "The only freedom cadenced verse obtains is a limited freedom from the tight demands of the metered line."[12]Free verse is as equally subject to elements of form (the poetic line, which may vary freely; rhythm; strophes or strophic rhythms; stanzaic patterns and rhythmic units or cadences) as other forms of poetry.Donald Hallgoes as far as to say that "theformof free verse is as binding and as liberating as theformof arondeau,"[13]andT. S. Eliotwrote, "No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job."[14]

Kenneth Allott,the poet and critic, said the adoption by some poets ofvers librearose from "mere desire for novelty, the imitation ofWhitman,the study ofJacobeandramaticblank verse,and the awareness of what French poets had already done to thealexandrinein France. "[15]The American criticJohn Livingston Lowesin 1916 observed "Free verse may be written as very beautifulprose;prose may be written as very beautiful free verse. Which is which? "[16]

Some poets have considered free verse restrictive in its own way. In 1922,Robert Bridgesvoiced his reservations in the essay "Humdrum and Harum-Scarum".Robert Frost,in a comment regardingCarl Sandburg,later remarked that writing free verse was like "playing tennis without a net." Sandburg responded saying, in part, "There have been poets who could and did play more than one game of tennis with unseen rackets, volleying airy and fantastic balls over an insubstantial net, on a frail moonlight fabric of a court."[17][18]William Carlos Williamssaid, "Being an art form, a verse cannot be free in the sense of having no limitations or guiding principles."[19]Yvor Winters,the poet and critic, said, "…the greatest fluidity of statement is possible where the greatest clarity of form prevails.… The free verse that is really verse—the best that is, ofW.C. Williams,H. D.,Marianne Moore,Wallace Stevens,andEzra Pound—is, in its peculiar fashion, theantithesisof free. "[20]

InWelsh poetry,however, the term has a completely different meaning. According toJan Morris,"When Welsh poets speak of Free Verse, they mean forms like thesonnetor theode,which obey the same rules as Englishpoesy.Strict Metresverse still honours theimmensely complex ruleslaid down for correct poetic composition 600 years ago. "[21]

Vers libre

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Vers libreis a free-verse poetic form of flexibility, complexity, and naturalness[22]created in the late 19th century in France, in 1886. It was largely through the activities ofLa Vogue,a weekly journal founded byGustave Kahn,[23]as well as the appearance of a band of poets unequaled at any one time in the history of French poetry.[24]Their style of poetry was dubbed "Counter-Romanticism" and it was led byVerlaine,Rimbaud,Mallarmé,LaforgueandCorbière.[25]It was concerned withsynaethesis(the harmony or equilibrium of sensation)[26]and later described as "the moment when French poetry began to take consciousness of itself as poetry."[27]Gustave Kahn was commonly supposed to have invented the term vers libre and according toF. S. Flint,he "was undoubtedly the first theorist of the technique(s)."[28]Later in 1912, Robert de Souza published his conclusion on the genre, voicing that[29]"A vers libre was possible which would keep all the essential characteristics ofvers Classique,but would free it from the encumbrances which usage had made appear indispensable. "[30]Thus the practice of vers libre was not the abandoning of pattern, but the creation of an original and complicated metrical form for each poem.[31]

The formal stimuli for vers libre werevers libéré(French verse of the late 19th century that liberated itself from classical rules of versification whilst observing the principle of isosyllabism and regular patterned rhyme) andvers libre Classique(a minor French genre of the 17th and 18th century which conformed to classic concepts, but in which lines of different length were irregularly and unpredictably combined) andvers Populaire(versification derived from oral aspects of popular song).[23]Remy de Gourmont'sLivre des Masquesgave definition to the whole vers libre movement;[32]he notes that there should arise, at regular intervals, a full and complete line, which reassures the ear and guides the rhythm.[33]

Form and structure

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The unit of vers libre is not the foot, the number of the syllables, the quantity, or the line. The unit is thestrophe,which may be the whole poem or only a part. Each strophe is a complete circle.[34]Vers libre is "verse-formal based uponcadencethat allows the lines to flow as they will when read aloud by an intelligent reader. "[35]

Unrhymedcadencein vers libre is built upon "organic rhythm" or the rhythm of the speaking voice with its necessity for breathing, rather than upon a strict metrical system.[36]For vers libre addresses the ear, not the eye.[37]Vers libre is liberated from traditional rules concerning meter, caesura, and line end stopping.[38]Every syllable pronounced is of nearly equal value but is less strongly accented than in English; being less intense requires less discipline to mold the accents into the poem's rhythm.[30]This new technique, as defined by Kahn, consists of the denial of a regular number of syllables as the basis for verification; the length of the line is long and short, oscillating with images used by the poet following the contours of his or her thoughts and is free rather than regular.[39]

Although free verse requires no meter, rhyme, or other traditional poetic techniques, a poet can still use them to create some sense of structure. A clear example of this can be found inWalt Whitman's poems, where he repeats certain phrases and uses commas to create both a rhythm and structure.

Pattern and discipline are to be found in good free verse: the internal pattern of sounds, the choice of exact words, and the effect of associations give free verse its beauty.[40]With theImagistsfree verse became a discipline and acquired status as a legitimate poetic form.[41]Herbert Read,however, noted that "the ImagistEzra Poundgave free verse its musical structure to an extent that paradoxically it was no longer free. "[42]

Unrestrained by traditional boundaries, the poet possesses more license to express and has more control over the development of the poem. This can allow for a more spontaneous and individualized poetic art product.

Technically, free verse has been described as spaced prose, a mosaic of verse and prose experience.[43]

Antecedents

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As theFrench-languagetermvers libresuggests, this technique of using more irregular cadences is often said to have its origin in the practices of 19th-century French poets such asGustave KahnandJules Laforgue,in hisDerniers versof 1890. Taupin, the US-based French poet and critic, concluded that free verse andvers libreare not synonymous, since "the French language tends to give equalweightto each spoken syllable, whereas English syllables vary in quantity according to whetherstressed or unstressed."[44]

The sort of cadencing that we now recognize in free verse can be traced back at least as far as theBiblical Hebrewpsalmistpoetry of theBible.[12]By referring to thePsalms,it is possible to argue that free verse in English first appeared in the 1380s in theJohn Wycliffetranslation of thePsalmsand was repeated in different form in mostbiblical translationsever since.

Walt Whitman,who based his long lines in his poetry collectionLeaves of Grasson the phrasing of theKing James Bible,influenced later American free verse composers, notablyAllen Ginsberg.[45]One form of free verse was employed byChristopher Smartin his long poemJubilate Agno(Latin:Rejoice in the Lamb), written some time between 1759 and 1763 but not published until 1939.

Many poets of theVictorian eraexperimented with free verse.Christina Rossetti,Coventry Patmore,andT. E. Brownall wrote examples of rhymed but unmetered verse, poems such asW. E. Henley's "Discharged" (from hisIn Hospitalsequence).

Free verse in English was persuasively advocated by criticT. E. Hulmein hisA Lecture on Modern Poetry(1908). Later in the preface toSome Imagist Poets1916, he comments, "Only the name is new, you will find something much likevers libreinDryden'sThrenodia Augustalis;a great deal ofMilton'sSamson Agonistes,and the oldest inChaucer'sHouse of Fame."[46]

In France, a few pieces inArthur Rimbaud'sprose poemcollectionIlluminationswere arranged in manuscript in lines, rather than prose, and in the Netherlands,tachtiger(i.e., a member of the 1880s generation of innovative poets)Frederik van Eedenemployed the form at least once in his poem "Waterlelie" ( "Water Lily" ).[47]

Goethein some early poems, such as "Prometheus"and alsoHölderlinused free verse occasionally, due in part to a misinterpretation of the meter used inPindar's poetry. Hölderlin also continued to write unmetered poems after discovering this error.[48]

The German poetHeinrich Heinemade an important contribution to the development of free verse with 22 poems, written in two-poem cycles, calledDie Nordsee(The North Sea) (written 1825–1826).[49]These were first published inBuch der Lieder(Book of Songs) in 1827.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Abbs, Peter; Richardson, John (15 November 1990).The Forms of Poetry: A practical study guide for English(15th ed.).Cambridge University Press.p. 137.ISBN978-0-521-37160-5.
  2. ^abcDeFord, Sara; Harriss, Clarinda (1971).Forms of verse: British and American.New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. pp. 292–293.ISBN0390260002.
  3. ^Kirby-Smith, H. T. (1996).The origins of free verse.Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 43.ISBN0472106988.
  4. ^Kirby-Smith, Henry Tompkins (1996).The origins of free verse.Ann Arbor (Mich.): the University of Michigan press. p. 10.ISBN0472106988.
  5. ^Pondrom, CryrenaThe Road from Paris, French Influence on English Poetry1900-1920 Cambridge University Press 1974ISBN978-0-521-13119-3
  6. ^F. S. Flint,The History of ImagismEssay in The Egoist May 1915
  7. ^Jones Peter (editor) Introduction toImagist PoetryPenguin BooksISBN0-14-042147-5
  8. ^Pratt WilliamIntroduction to The Imagist Poem, modern poetry in miniatureUno Press 1963 editionISBN978-0-9728143-8-6
  9. ^Pratt William Preface toThe Imagist Poem, modern poetry in miniatureUno Press 1963 editionISBN978-0-9728143-8-6
  10. ^Eliot T. S. AddressTo Criticize the Criticto Washington University June 1953, Faber & Faber 1965
  11. ^Untermeyer, Louis, Preface toModern American PoetryHarcourt Brace& Co New York 1950
  12. ^abcAllen, Charles (1948). "Cadenced Free Verse".College English.9(4): 195–199.doi:10.2307/371561.JSTOR371561.
  13. ^Donald Hall, in the essay 'Goatfoot, Milktongue, Twinbird' in the book of 0-472-40000-2.
  14. ^Eliot quote from the essay, "The Music of Poetry" Jackson (1 January 1942) ASIN B0032Q49RO
  15. ^Introductory Note by Kenneth Allott (ed.)The Penguin Book of Contemporary Verse,Penguin Books,Harmondsworth, England 1950
  16. ^Lowes, Livingston John,NationFeb 1916
  17. ^The Robert Frost Encyclopedia.Nancy Lewis Tuten, John Zubizarreta. Greenwood Press (2001). Page 318.ISBN9780313294648
  18. ^Lingeman, Richard. "A Poet for the People:Carl Sandberg: A Biography".Los Angeles Times.14 July 1991.
  19. ^Free Verse,Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics,2nd Ed, 1975
  20. ^[1]Winters, Yvor.Primitivism and Decadence: A Study of American Experimental Poetry.Arrow Editions, New York, 1937. p. 7
  21. ^Jan Morris (1984),The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country,Oxford University Press.Page 152.
  22. ^Hover, RichardPoet in TownInterview with Boston Record Sept 1898
  23. ^abScott, Clive, Vers libre: the emergence of free verse in France, 1886-1914 Clarendon Press, OxfordISBN978-0-19-815159-3
  24. ^Hulme, T. E. Lecture onModern Poetry,Kensington Town Hall 1914
  25. ^Pratt, William,Introduction to The Influence of French Symbolism on Modern American Poetryby René Taupin, AMS Press Inc, New York 1985ISBN0-404-61579-1
  26. ^I A Richards & C.K.OgdenThe Foundations of Aesthetics,Lear Publisher, New York 1925
  27. ^Maritain Jaques,The Situation of Poetry Now,Philosophical Library, New York, 1955
  28. ^Flint, F. S.,Contemporary French Poetry,The Poetry Review Aug 1912
  29. ^de Souza, Robert,Du Rythme en Francais,Welter, Paris 1912
  30. ^abTaupin, René,The Influence of French Symbolism on Modern American Poetry(1986),(trans William Pratt) AMS Studies in Modern Literature,ISBN0-404-61579-1
  31. ^Pondrom, Cryrena The Road from Paris, French Influence on English Poetry 1900-1920 Cambridge University Press 1974ISBN978-0-521-13119-3
  32. ^Read, HerbertThe Tenth MuseNew York 1958
  33. ^Remy de Gourmand,Le Probleme du Style,Paris 1900
  34. ^Lowes, John Livingston Conventions and Revolt in Poetry Houghton Mifflin, Boston 1919
  35. ^Lowell, Amy, Preface, Sword Blades, and Poppy Seed; North American Review for January 1917
  36. ^Lowes, John LivingstonConventions and Revolt in PoetryHoughton Mifflin, Boston 1919
  37. ^de Souza Robert,Du Rythme en Francais,Welter, Paris 1912
  38. ^Kahn, Gustave,Le Vers libre,Paris, 1923 ASIN: B008XZTTY2
  39. ^Hulme, T. E.,Lecture on Modern Poetry,Kensington Town Hall 1914
  40. ^Boulton, Marjories,Anatomy of Poetry,Routledge&Kegan, London 1953
  41. ^Pratt, William. The Imagist Poem, Modern Poetry in Miniature (Story Line Press, 1963, expanded 2001).ISBN1-58654-009-2.
  42. ^Read, Herbert Ezra Pound,The Tenth Muse.Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1957
  43. ^Patterson, William Morrison,Rhythm of Prose(Preface 2nd edition)Columbia University Press,1916.[2]
  44. ^Taupin, Rene.The Influence of French Symbolism on Modern American Poetry(1986), (translated by William Pratt), Ams Studies in Modern Literature,ISBN0-404-61579-1
  45. ^H. T. Kirby-Smith (1998).The Origins of Free Verse.University of Michigan Press. p. 44.ISBN0-472-08565-4.
  46. ^Preface toSome Imagist Poets,Constable, 1916
  47. ^"De waterlelie < Frederik van Eeden".4umi.com.
  48. ^Michael Hamburger:Forewordin Robert Marcellus Browning (ed.):German poetry from 1750 to 1900(The German Library,vol. 39), New York: The Continuum Publishing Company, 1984, p. XV,ISBN0-8264-0282-8
  49. ^Heine, Heinrich (22 November 1995).Songs of Love and Grief: A Bilingual Anthology in the Verse Forms of the... – Heinrich Heine – Google Books.Northwestern University Press.ISBN9780810113244.Retrieved23 April2013.

Further reading

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On vers libre

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  • Taupin, RenéThe Influence of French Symbolism on Modern American Poetry(1986),(trans William Pratt) Ams Studies in Modern Literature,ISBN0-404-61579-1
  • Pondrom, CryrenaThe Road from Paris, French Influence on English Poetry 1900-1920Cambridge University Press 1974ISBN978-0-521-13119-3
  • Scott, Clive,Vers libre: the emergence of free verse in France,1886-1914 Clarendon Press, OxfordISBN978-0-19-815159-3
  • Kahn, Gustave,Le Vers libre,Paris, 1923 ASIN: B008XZTTY2
  • Pound, Ezra,The Approach to ParisThe New Age Sep 1913
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