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CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY-OF PROSE RHYTHM GENERALLY, AND OF THE
HISTORY OF ITS STUDY
The beginnings in Greek and Latin- -Aristotle-Demetrius (?)-
Dionysius-Quintilian-Others, Cicero-Longinus
CHAPTER II
OLD ENGLISH PROSE RHYTHM
General characteristics of Old English prose-Its drawbacks and advan-
tages in vocabulary and compounds-Its "synthetic" character-
Intermixture of prosaic and poetic style-Latin influence-Passages
for examination-Ethelbald's grant to the Bishop of Worcester-
The "Slaying of Cynewulf' Remarks-Rhythmical effect of
inflections-Of compounds, etc.-Um endings, consonant groups,
etc.-General word-rhythm-Remarks on the rhythm of the com-
position And its relations to verse-Absence of alliteration-
Alfred's translations-The tenth century-The Blickling Homilies
-Interim summary of prose before Ælfric-Ælfric, the Colloquy
-The Homilies-Specimen passages-Remarks on them-Later
examples, Wulfstan-Apollonius of Tyre-General survey and
summary
PAGE
I
ΙΟ
CHAPTER III
THE FORMATION OF PROSE RHYTHM IN MIDDLE ENGLISH
BEFORE C. 1350
Importance and difficulty of Early and Middle English in our subject—
The Ancren Riwle-Analysis of passages-"The Wooing of Our
Lord "- Other twelfth and thirteenth century pieces-General
remarks on early Middle English prose-Influence of the Vulgate,
and of French prose
43
CHAPTER IV
FROM CHAUCER TO MALORY
---
English made a school language-The four prosemen of the late four-
teenth century-Wyclif-The Tracts and Sermons-The translation
of the Bible-Trevisa Sir John Mandeville- Chaucer- His
various prose pieces-Their somewhat neglected importance-The
Parson's Tale-The Tale of Melibee-Its blank verse-The
Astrolabe-The Boethius-The fifteenth century-Its real im-
portance-Pecock and the Repressor-His syntax-His compound
equivalents-The Paston Letters-Malory-His prose and the
earlier verse Morte-Guinevere's last meeting with Lancelot-The
Lancelot dirge-The Throwing of Excalibur-His devices-His
excellence a rather lonely one-Berners-Style of his romance
translations-And contrast of their Prefaces-Fisher
INTERCHAPTER I
56
102
CHAPTER V
THE FIRST MATURITY-ASCHAM TO HOOKER
Shorter retrospect-Continuance of rhetorical influence: the Cambridge
School-Cheke: his "bankruptcy" theory-Its fallacy-Wilson
and "ink-horn terms -The excuses-Ascham-Tyndale-The
Prayer-Book (Cranmer ?) —— Latimer-Profane translations-Lyly
and Euphuism: its failure in rhythm-Hooker: his achievement
-Rhythm-sweep—And fingering of particular words-Sidney . 114
CHAPTER VI
THE AUTHORISED VERSION AND THE TRIUMPH OF THE
ORNATE STYLE
The coming of harvest-The Authorised Version of the Bible-The
sixtieth chapter of the book of Isaiah-A.V., Septuagint, and
Vulgate scanned-Discussion of each-Earlier English versions
for comparison: Coverdale-The "Bishops'"-Remarks on them
-Geneva and Douay-A New Testament example, the Charity
passage of 1 Cor.: atrocities of the Revisers-The older versions
here Results of scrutiny-Observation on use of synonyms-In-
dividual writers-Raleigh-Greville-Donne-The palmiest days
-Bacon (?)-Burton-Beauties and faults-Milton-Disputes
about his prose, and their causes-Close connection of Milton's
style with oratory-Some of its faults-Partial foot-analysis-
Taylor: the general high estimate of him-Examples-Rhythmical
characteristics-Browne Coleridge's charge against him-Special
character of his charm, and special treatment of it required-The
finale of Urn Burial-Interim observation on overture-The close
of the Garden of Cyrus-Short passages from Religio Medici-
From the Hydriotaphia-From the Garden of Cyrus—The Letter
to a Friend-And Christian Morals. Others perforce omitted
CHAPTER VII
THE CONCURRENCE OF THE PLAIN
-
The charm of seventeenth-century ornateness Glanvill -But such
ornateness not for all work-The forging of the plant for this-Ben
Jonson-High value of the Discoveries-Hobbes-His eminence
and its contrasted character-The "Race" and "Love" passages
of Human Nature-Clarendon
INTERCHAPTER II
141
201
217
CHAPTER VIII
AUGUSTAN PROSE
The prevailing of the plain style—The group of 1630-Distribution of
the chapter-Cowley-Dryden-South-Halifax-Temple and his
masterpiece-The plainest styles, vulgar and not vulgar-The non-
vulgarians: L'Estrange and Tom Brown-Bunyan-The vulgarians
-The effect of abbreviations-Instances from Rymer, etc.-Defoe
-Swift-The rhythmical character of irony-Addison-Hurd's
dealings with his rhythm-His supposed "Addisonian termina-
tion "His general view of Addison's "harmony "- Specimens
of Addison himself—Rhythmical analysis of them-Selections of
other Queen Anne men necessary - Berkeley Shaftesbury-
Bolingbroke-Letter-writers and novelists to be shortly dealt with
-Conyers Middleton-Efforts at variety-Adam Smith-Interim
observations on this prose-Attempts to raise it-Johnson : differ-
ent views respecting him-His relation to Browne-Characteristics
of the Johnsonian style-Burke: his oratorical ethos-His declared
method-Early examples-Middle-Later-Examples and com-
ments-Gibbon: his peculiarity-Its general effect, and that of
the other reformers-The standard Georgian style--Southey
INTERCHAPTER III
227
288
CHAPTER IX
THE REVIVAL OF RHYTHMICAL ELABORATION
The necessity of reaction-Its causes and bents-Preoccupation of the
ground by poetry; the Lake group and Scott-Byron, Shelley,
and Keats-The minors: Moore-The Epicurean-Return to
Coleridge in Anima Poetae-General descriptive character of these
early passages—The three chief pioneers-De Quincey—Specimen
phrases and passages, with analysis and comment-The Dream-
Fugue and the Suspiria the chief quarries-Elaborate rhythm by
no means often aimed at elsewhere-Its connection with dream-
The Suspiria again-The Autobiography-De Quincey's relation
to poetry-Wilson-Landor: his characteristics-The relations of
his poetry and his prose-His critical utterances on the subject-
Results in a "prose grand style "-Specimens-Some general ob-
servations-The four kinds of rhythm in relation to prose-I. Non-
prosaic rhythm or poetry-II. Hybrid verse-prose-III. Pure
prose highly rhythmed-IV. Prose in general
293
CHAPTER X
MISCELLANEOUS PROSE, 1820-1860
The coexistence of different styles in 1820-Momentary return to Landor
-Comparative merits-The "standard" still prevalent, but with a
tendency to degradation-Definition of "slovenliness "-Return to
examples Coleridge again-Jeffrey-Note on italics-Chalmers
-Note on Irving-Hazlitt-Lamb-Leigh Hunt-Carlyle-
Macaulay-The novelists: Miss Austen and Peacock-Lord
Beaconsfield-Dickens-Thackeray-Newman
.
347
CHAPTER XI
RUSKIN AND LATER NINETEENTH-CENTURY PROSE
1843-Modern Painters — Influences on Ruskin's style—His subjects
-His practice in verse, and its marks on his prose-Kingsley: his
pure Ruskinian prose-His "song-shape " style-Charlotte Brontë
-"George Eliot "-Mr. Froude-Matthew Arnold-His peculiar
system of repetition-Examples, and discussion of it-Mansel-A
false censure corrected-Pater-His quietism-His apes: Mr.
Frederick Myers-Mr. Swinburne-The mixed influences in him
-Examples in great and little-William Morris "Wardour
Street or not? George Meredith: his Meredithesity —
Stevenson
391
CONCLUSION
APPENDICES (I. Stave-Prose Poetry-Ossian, Blake, Whitman,
etc. II. Mason on Prosaic Numbers. III. Table of Axioms,
Inferences, and Suggestions)
INDEX
443
467