The Principles of English Versification

This is a book for anyone who has ever felt the music in poetry but couldn't name why. Baum challenges the dominance of classical prosody, the rigid application of Greek and Latin meter to English verse, and argues that such approaches have impoverished our understanding of English poetry's natural rhythms. He explores how rhythm operates in language itself, not as a set of mechanical rules but as something alive, shaped by the stresses and sounds of actual speech. The book examines temporal patterns, spatial arrangement, and the interplay between sound and meaning, treating versification as an art that rewards careful attention. Whether you're a poet seeking to understand your own craft, a student parsing meter in Shakespeare's sonnets, or a reader who wants to hear poetry more fully, Baum offers a rigorous yet luminous guide to the mechanics of poetic music. It endures because it frees verse from borrowed constraints, revealing English poetry's distinctive musicality.