The Chances of Rhyme

Device and Modernity

Donald Wesling

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9780520327511
• eBook ISBN: 9780520327528
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: European Poetry
• Index: Literature

The Chances of Rhyme: Device and Modernity explores the evolving role of rhyme in poetry within the context of modernity's emphasis on innovation. This book examines how rhyme, once synonymous with poetry itself, has transitioned from being an essential poetic device to one that is often questioned, distorted, or omitted. Through the lens of rhyme, the book investigates broader poetic conventions and their historical shifts, offering insights into how literary texts are crafted and received in an era where stylistic pluralism and avant-garde tendencies prevail. By analyzing rhyme as both a technical element and a cultural marker, the study illuminates its enduring power to evoke pleasure, even as it sparks suspicion and challenges contemporary poetic norms. Positioning rhyme as a gateway to larger discussions in poetics, the book delves into its duality—its mnemonic allure and its potential for solipsistic disruption. It considers how rhyme functions as a reflection of poetry's historical and structural evolution, marking the tension between tradition and innovation. Ultimately, this work is not just about rhyme but about the dynamic interplay between poetic devices and the broader aesthetic, historical, and cultural forces that shape modern literary expression. It invites readers to reflect on the enduring significance of rhyme as a technical and philosophical bridge between the old and the new in poetic craft. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS 1
• PREFACE
• 1: Historical and Structural Coordinates
• THE FORM OF HISTORY AND THE HISTORY OF FORM
• THE NEW CRITICISM AND THE CONCEPT OF ORGANIC FORM
• THE ESSENTIAL UNITY OF LITERARY AND ORDINARY LANGUAGE
• 2: Device: Aspects of History and Structure SYSTEM AND STRUCTURE OF RHYME
• A SHORT HISTORY OF RHYME IN ENGLISH
• RHYME AND REASON
• EXPECTATION
• ALLOCATION
• FAILURE
• INNOVATION
• 3: Modernity and Literary Convention MODERNITY AND THE ASSIMILATION OF THE POEM TO NATURE
• MODERNITY AND PERIODIZATION
• FORM AS TRANSGRESSION
• THE BLANK SPACES IN THE TABLE OF FORMS
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Selected Bibliography
• Index