At 02:31 PM 3/3/2004 -0500, Carol Kaske wrote:
>>>>
In view of some current skepticism about onomatopoeia etc., I'm delighted
to see that Frye believed in "imitative harmony . . . the sound being an
echo of the sense," which is a neglected dimension of Spenser's poetry.
<<<<
I am, in general, one of the skeptics. So, I might add, was Dr. Johnson.
But that is irrelevant. They -- meaning critics in the Renaissance --
believed in "imitative harmony," AND THERE'S AN END ON IT! (As the Great
Cham would say.) Virgil, in particular, was famous in this period for the
number and variety of his verbal sound effects. See María José Vega Ramos,
El secreto artificio: Qualitas sonorum, maronolatría y tradición pontaniana
en la poética del Renacimiento (Madrid, 1992).
Did Virgil intend to produce the sound effects that the critics discovered?
In some cases, there is no question, because the effects are so obvious
(e.g., "taratantara," which is the sound that a trumpet makes in Virgil's
predecessor Ennius). With more subtle effects -- and Virgil's effects,
whatever they are, are more subtle -- it is hard to judge. We hear what we
expect to hear. "Dover Beach" is connected with the seaside, and so of
course the rhythm of the poem reminds us of the ebb and flow of the tides.
But is that really what the poem sounds like? Is it the sound of the words
that puts us in mind of the sea, or is it the meaning of the words?
Frankly, I can't tell. With Spenser, though, I think we're on firmer
ground. If you believe that Homer is writing allegory, and you want to
imitate Homer, then you WILL write allegory. That's probably what Virgil
did. It's the same with imitative harmony. If you think that Virgil used
words to imitate sound, and you are trying to imitate Virgil, you will,
probably, use words to imitate sound. And if you have any talent, it will
probably work, too.
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David Wilson-Okamura http://virgil.org [log in to unmask]
East Carolina University Virgil reception, discussion, documents, &c
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