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If you believe that spondees and pyrhhic feet (which are quantitative ideas) are valid in English (which is a stress-accent language), then you would have a point. The thing about English is that there is relative accent between any two or among any three syllables, so that the distinction between the abstract pattern of iambic stress (the stress differential between pairs of syllables) and normal phrasal speech rhythms across a phrase or line, creates interesting tensions among various possible spoken emphases--this is what Stephen and I have been referring to. Bibliography on request, though I try to summarize the principles and debate in the first chapter of my 1985 book, _Natural Emphasis_. If there is new information, though, I'm always willing to learn. Best, Susanne On Jan 12, 2008 11:59 PM, Steven J. Willett <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > On Jan 13, 2008, at 5:12 AM, Stephen Merriam Foley wrote: > > Yes, Susanne, the effect of the promotion of "of" would be to create a > line in which two noun phrases "such perfection" and "all heavenly grace" > are suspended against one another across a casesura And the promotion of > "of" also inflects a moral or theological grammar, Jim, along the lines you > are curious about. So I read "of" as complementary to "such" and opening up > all the possibilities of the preposition: source, cause, indentity, part, > separation.....A reflection in syntax of the complex theology of grace, man > and god suspended and yet determined and determining. > On Jan 10, 2008, at 9:24 AM, Susanne Woods wrote: > > Stephen is right. This is a classic case of 4-3-2-1 stress relations over > an iambic base. The result is a rise in mid-line, as "of" is relatively > more stressed than "ion," and "heav" than "all," but in terms of the whole > line "all" is relatively more stressed than "of." The net effect is to > raise the normal emphasis we would place on "of" and give the second half of > the line the greater overall emphasis. > > > I have a slight caveat here: we seem to be confusing a metrical fact with > a performance preference. The line "To such perfection of all heavenly > grace" is easily scanned as a simple rising inversion with the elision of > the second syllable in "heavenly": > > x / x / x x / / x /. > > Rising and falling inversions are common in Spenser, though at a lower > rate than we find in say Shakespeare or the romantic poets. In Derek > Attridge's system, there is no metrical requirement to give a promoted > syllable a half or full stress any more than there is a requirement to > reduce the stress of a demoted syllable. In iambic meters, the very common > variations x x x and / / / (which often occurs at the beginning of the line) > are not mandates for artificially enhancing or suppressing the normal stress > contour. Those are performance issues that can be more easily clarified > using his double-line scansion system. See Reuven Tsur's "Poetic Rhythm" > for a detailed treatment of the various ways metrical variations can be > performed, especially those that occur toward the end of the line, where > there's an expectation for greater regularity. Some of his original > research for the book along with the accompanying sound files and sonograms > are available at the Versification web site: > > http://www.arsversificandi.net. > > Now if we really want to get into the thicket of performance, here's a > little rhythmical experiment thanks to Reuven. The enclosed sound files > contain two readings of the first two lines of Paradise Lost, read by the > same actor, Anton Lesser. I invite the list to compare the two readings and > decide whether they satisfy or fail to satisfy the conflicting demands of > versification and syntax. At the end of the first line, for instance, > versification demands discontinuation, whereas syntax demands continuation. > After "disobedience" and "Tree", conversely, syntax demands some > discontinuation, and versification demands continuation. At these points, > the performer has three options: he may suppress continuation, or suppress > discontinuation, or, somehow indicate the presence of both continuation and > discontinuation, by conflicting cues. > > Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit > Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast > > First reading: > > > > > Second reading: > > > > > Steven J. Willett > [log in to unmask] > [log in to unmask] > [log in to unmask] > US phone/fax: (503) 390-1070 > Japan phone: (053) 475-4714 > > > > >