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Translated by G. S. Smith and Marina Tarlinskaja. Edited by G. H. Smith with Leofranc Holford-Strevens.
When we read a poem composed in blank iambic pentameter, it reminds us of Shakespeare. When we read a poem composed in long lines without rhyme or rhythm, we think of Whitman. In this ground-breaking study of the history of European versification, M. L. Gasparov shows how such chains of association link the poetry of numerous languages and diverse ages. Examining poetry written in 30 languages (from Irish to Belorussian) and over several millenia (from classical Latin and Greek to the experiments of the contemporary avant-garde), the book traces the ways in which the poetry of English, French, Russian, Greek and other European languages has developed from a single common Indo-European source. The account is liberally illustrated with verse examples, both in their original languages and in translation.
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When we read a poem composed in blank iambic pentameter, it reminds us of Shakespeare. When we read a poem composed in long lines without rhyme or rhythm, we think of Whitman. In this ground-breaking'Study of the history of European versification, M. L. Gasparov shows how such chains of association link the poetry of numerous languages and diverse ages. Examining poetry written in 3 0 languages (from Irish to Belorussian) and over several millenia (from classical Latin and Greek to the experiments of the contemporary avant-garde), the book traces the ways in which the poetry of English, French, Russian, Greek and other European languages has developed from a single common Indo-European source. The account is liberally illustrated with verse examples, both in their original languages and in translation. Academician M. L. Gasparov is Senior Research Fellow at the Academic Institute of the Russian Language, Moscow, and holder of the State Prize of The Russian Federation. G. S. Smith is Professor of Russian at Oxford University, and Fellow of New College. Marina Tarlinskaja is a Research Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle.
A History of European Versification
A H I S T O R Y OF
EUROPEAN VERSIFICATIO N M. L. G A S P A R OV TRANSLATED BY
G . S. S M I T H AND
M ARINA T A R L IN S K A JA EDITED BY
G . S. S M IT H WITH
L E O F R A N C H O L F O R D -S T R E V E N S
CLAREN D O N PRESS
1996
· O XFO RD
. Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford 0x2
6dp-
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