Accent, Rhythm and Meaning in French Verse

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Focusing on the interplay between accent and rhythm in French poetry, the book presents a theory that challenges the common belief that accent is unimportant to meter. It reveals a rich tradition over a millennium, demonstrating that alternating accent patterns are crucial for understanding metricality. Through in-depth analysis of the relationship between accent and syllable count, the author conducts close readings of French verse from the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries, highlighting how rhythm and meaning are intricately linked.