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I was fascinated once to come across a facsimile of a manuscript of Pope's, a writer one associates very much with 'correctness', bearing no punctuation whatsoever.So in that instance punctuation, capitals and all, becomes a matter of 'public dress'. Or manners. 2009/6/19 Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]> > At some point early on, I stopped using punctuation of any kind. > Except maybe a capital letter at the beginning of the poem. I think > the reason was that I wanted the primary shaping and rhythmic device > of a line on a page to be in its lineation. Then sometimes I wanted to > use punctuation, so I did. My rule is simple, I use as little as is > possible and as much as is necessary. And sometimes now I do > capitalise lines. I do this to emphasise the turn of the line, its > breath, and generally (but not always) in more formal lyric poems. > Maybe it comes from my great admiration of how Milton uses endstop and > run ons in Paradise Lost. I can't remember. But he's the master of > beginning a line. > > xA > > > -- > Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au > Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com > Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com > -- David Bircumshaw "Nothing can be done in the face of ordinary unhappiness" - PP Website and A Chide's Alphabet http://www.staplednapkin.org.uk The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk