James Fenton: Most

James Fenton is poet. Explore interesting quotes on most.
James Fenton: 34   quotes 2   likes

“It normally happens that if you put two words together, or two syllables together, one of them will attract more weight, more emphasis, than the other. In other words, most so-called spondees can be read as either iambs or trochees.”

James Fenton

Source: An Introduction to English Poetry (2002), Ch. 5: The Iambic Pentameter (p. 28)

Reading

“Can the ear hear a thirteen-syllable line as consisting of thirteen syllables? I don't think so, but I think that a series of thirteen-syllable lines (supposing that was the length chosen) would, after a while, begin to have a characteristic resemblance. For the most part, though, counting the syllables seems to be something that works, if it works, for the poet. It is a private method of organization.”

James Fenton

Source: An Introduction to English Poetry (2002), Ch. 18: Syllabics (p. 99)

Thinking , Parting

“Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse is a crash course in villanelles, sestinas and other such fixed forms. But most…are rare in English poetry. Few poets have written a villanelle worth reading, or indeed regret not having done so.”

James Fenton

Source: An Introduction to English Poetry (2002), Ch. 3: The Training of the Poet (p. 21)

Reading