A Comparative Study of Old English Metre

Table of Contents

• Cover 1
• Contents 6
• Preface 10
• Acknowledgments 14
• 1 Introduction 18
• Overview 18
• 1.1 Alliteration 18
• 1.2 How Alliteration Affects Grammar and Word-choice 21
• 1.3 Rhythm 22
• 1.4 How rhythm Affects Grammar and Word-choice 23
• 1.5 Textual Criticism 24
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 26
• 2 Alliteration 27
• Overview 27
• 2.1 Consonantal and Vocalic Alliteration 27
• 2.2 Alliterative Patterns in the Line and Half-line 32
• 2.2.1 Anomalous Alliteration 32
• 2.2.2 Crossed and Transverse Alliteration 33
• 2.2.3 Explaining Alliterative Patterns 34
• 2.3 The Alliterative Rule of Precedence 36
• 2.4 Rhyme 39
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 40
• 3 Rhythm: The Basics 42
• Overview 42
• 3.1 Stress-words, Particles, and Proclitics 42
• 3.2 Syllable and Foot 45
• 3.2.1 Syllable Length 45
• 3.2.2 Foot 46
• 3.3 Five Rhythmic Types 47
• 3.4 Anacrusis 60
• 3.5 Hypermetric Verses 61
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 63
• 4 Rhythm: Advanced Topics 64
• Overview 64
• 4.1 The Four-syllable Principle 64
• 4.2 Accommodation of Apparently Ill-formed Half-lines 67
• 4.2.1 Contraction 67
• 4.2.2 Parasiting 68
• 4.2.3 Syncopation 69
• 4.2.4 Resolution and Kaluza’s Law 70
• 4.3 Types B and C Reconsidered 72
• 4.4 Interaction between Rhythm and Alliteration 73
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 76
• 5 Metre and Word 78
• Overview 78
• 5.1 Preference for Shorter Words or Phrases 78
• 5.2 Choice between Morphological Variants 80
• 5.2.1 Adverbs of Time 80
• 5.2.2 Agent-nouns in -end and -ende 81
• 5.2.3 The Relative Infrequency of Agent-nouns in -ere in Old English Poetry 84
• 5.3 Constraints on Compound Formation 86
• 5.3.1 ‘Prosaic’ Here-toga and ‘Poetic’ Folc-toga 86
• 5.3.2 Hilde- and Hild-compounds 88
• 5.3.3 Absence of Some Possible Compounds 90
• 5.3.4 Compounds and Syntactic Phrases 91
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 93
• 6 Metre and Grammar 94
• Overview 94
• 6.1 Nouns and Adjectives 94
• 6.1.1 Concord between Subject and Adjective/Participle 94
• 6.1.2 Weak Adjectives without a Demonstrative 96
• 6.1.3 Weak ‘Man’ 98
• 6.2 Negation 99
• 6.3 Inflectional Forms and Prepositional Phrases 101
• 6.4 Principal and Subordinate Clauses 105
• 6.5 Word Order 107
• 6.5.1 How Alliteration Affects Word Order 107
• 6.5.2 How Rhythm Affects Word Order: Kuhn’s Laws 108
• 6.5.3 Syntactic Classification of Half-lines 112
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 116
• 7 Other Problems Related to Old English Metre 118
• Overview 118
• 7.1 Metre and the Dating of Texts 118
• 7.2 Metre and Authorship 121
• 7.3 Verse and Prose 123
• References and Suggestions for Further Reading 129
• Appendices 132
• A: Suggested Answers to the Exercises 132
• B: Some Tips for Scanning Half-lines, with Sample Scansions 142
• C: Glossary of Metrical Terms 146
• A 146
• B 146
• C 146
• D 146
• E 146
• F 146
• H 147
• K 147
• L 147
• N 147
• O 147
• P 148
• R 148
• S 148
• T 148
• Bibliography 150
• Index of Verses 166
• A 166
• B 166
• C 167
• D 167
• E 167
• G 167
• J 167
• M 167
• P 167
• R 167
• S 167
• W 167
• General Index 168
• A 168
• B 168
• C 168
• D 168
• E 168
• F 168
• H 169
• I 169
• K 169
• L 169
• M 169
• N 169
• O 169
• P 169
• R 169
• S 169
• T 169
• U 169
• W 169