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“Of” in Paradise Lost As Evidence for the Metrical Line DOI

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“Of” in Paradise Lost As Evidence for the Metrical Line DOI Umanistica Digitale - ISSN:2532-8816 - n.6, 2019 N. Fabb - “ !" in Pa$adise L'st as e(i%ence fo$ t)e met$ical line D I: htt*:++%'i.o$g+10.6092/issn.2532-8816+8615 “ !" in #a$a%ise &'st as e(i%ence !'$ t)e met$ical line Nigel Fabb Uni(ersit, '! Strat)cl,%e [email protected] -bst$act. In t)is *a*e$ I %iscuss t)e %istributi'n '! grammatical m'n's,llables in t)e iambic *entamete$ line. I s)'/ t)at in 0ilt'n1s Paradise Lost, t)e /'$% F a**ears /it) g$eate$ t)an e2*ecte% !$e3.ency at t)e beginning '! t)e line4 27% '! all instances '! F a$e in t)e !irst '! t)e ten metrical *'siti'ns, an% 5% '! all t)e lines begin /it) F, ma7ing it t)e secon% m'st !$e3.ent line-initial /'$%. I s.ggest t)at t)is mig)t $e!lect t)e /a, t)at 0ilt'n .ses en8ambement in t)e *'em. It als' means t)at F ma, !.ncti'n as a cl.e t' t)e beginning '! t)e line, in t)e conte2t '! 't)er evi%ence !'r lineati'n, essential i! t)e a.%ience is t' establis) t)e metrical !'rm '! t)e *'em. In contrast, in t)e eig)teent) cent.$, blan7 (erse l'ng *'ems '! 9)'ms'n an% :'/*e$, t)e /'$% -ND is $elati(el, !$e3.ent at t)e beginning '! t)e line. ;.t <'$%s/'$t) .ses bot) F an% -ND as !$e3.ent line-initial /'$%s, merging 0ilt'n1s !'$mal *ractice /it) t)e *ractice '! 't)e$ /riters. 9)e *a*e$ concl.%es by $e!lecting 'n t)e $elati'n bet/een statistical cha$acteristics '! te2t an% *$'babilistic as*ects '! '.r 7n'/le%ge '! litera$, !'rm. =.est' a$ticol' *$en%e in esame la %istribuzi'ne %i m'n'sillabi grammaticali nel *entamet$' giambico inglese. =.i m'st$' che, in Paradise Lost %i 0ilt'n, la *a$'la F com*a$e c'n !$e3.enza maggi'$e all1inizi' %el (ers' %i 3.ant' ci si *'t$ebbe n'rmalmente as*etta$e4 il 27% %i t.tte le 'cc'$$en>e si t$'(a nella *rima %elle 10 *'sizi'ni metriche, e il 5% %ei (ersi comincia con F, il che la $en%e cos? la secon%a *a$'la *i@ !$e3.ente all1incipit %el (ers'. =.est' *'t$ebbe ri!lette$e, s.ggerisco, il m'%' in cui 0ilt'n a%'*era l’enjambement nel *'ema. :iA signi!ica anche che F *'t$ebbe !.nzi'na$e come in%izi' %ell1inizi' %el (ers', nel c'ntest' %i alt$e evi%en>e *e$ la %ivisi'ne %el *'ema in tale .nitB, essenziale se il *.bblico %e(e %etermina$e la !'rma metrica %el *'ema. D1alt$' cant', nel (ers' sci'lt' %el 1700 %i 9)'ms'n e :'/*e$, C la *a$'la -ND a esse$e $elativamente !$e3.ente all1inizi' %el (ers'. In(ece <'$%s/'rt) .sa sia F che -ND all1inizi' %ei *$'*ri (ersi, !'n%en%' la *ratica %i 0ilt'n con 3.ella %i altri scritt'ri. &1articol' *$'*'ne in!ine .na ri!lessi'ne s.lla $elazi'ne tra le caratteristiche statistiche %i .n test', e gli as*etti *$'babilistici %ella n'stra con'scenza %ella !'$ma letteraria. 1 Umanistica Digitale - ISSN:2532-8816 - n.6, 2019 Int$'%.cti'n 9)is *a*e$ is an e2e$cise in /'$d-co.nting, in('l(ing D')n 0ilt'n1s l'ng se(enteent) cent.$, *'em Paradise Lost an% a selecti'n '! l'ng (e$se te2ts. <'$d-c'.nting is a standa$% *$actice in m.c) digital ).manities $esea$ch, but t)is *a*e$ adds a c'nte2t.al feat.$e n't 'ften c'nsi%e$ed, an% s*ecific t' (e$se, %efine% as te2t /)ich is di(ide% int' lines. I c'.nt F, -ND, and s'me 't)e$ c'mm'n n'n-re!e$ential g$ammatical m'n's,llables, and I focus s*ecificall, 'n /)et)e$ t)ese m'n's,llables a$e in line-initial *'siti'n '$ s'me 't)e$ *'siti'n. 9)is 3.esti'n is *a$ticula$l, inte$esting !'$ Paradise Lost EPLF, a *'em /)'se !i$st t/' lines begin wit) t)e (e$, !$e3.ent /'$% F, an% in /)ic) 5% '! lines '(e$all begin /it) F. The statistic 'n /)ic) I !'cus is t)at 27% '! all instances '! F a$e line-initial. I l''7 at a selecti'n '! 't)e$ iambic *entamete$ *'ems afte$ PL, s.ch as 9)'ms'n1s The Seasons an% fin% in cont$ast t)at F is n't $elati(el, !$e3.ent at line-beginning, but t)at instea% t)e )ig)l, !$e3.ent /'$% -ND is $elati(el, !$e3.ent at line beginnings E.nli7e PL). <'$ds/'$t) in t)e 1805 Prelude .ses b't) F an% -ND !$e3.entl, at line beginning, t).s me$ging 0ilt'n1s F *atte$n wit) t)e -ND *atte$n of ot)e$ p$e%ecess'$s w)' infl.enced him s.ch as 9)'ms'n. It is li7el, t)at t)ese %ist$ibuti'ns a$e side-effects '! an't)e$ *$actice: t)at ce$tain /'$ds a**ea$ at t)e beginning '! t)e line beca.se '! t)e s,ntactic '$ disco.$se st$.ct.$e '! t)e te2t, $elati(e t' t)e *'et1s en8ambement *$actice4 t)at is, F ma, be *a$ticula$l, !$e3.ent in PL beca.se n'.n *)$ases a$e easil, s*lit ac$'ss lines, /)ile -ND ma, be *a$ticula$l, !$e3.ent in 't)e$ *'ets /)' fa('.$ a m'$e *a$atactic se3.ence wit) less $adical *)$ase-s*litting en8ambements. G'/e(e$, e(en i! t)e %ist$ibuti'ns '! t)ese /'$ds at line-beginning a$e side- effects '! ling.istic an% *'etic st$.ct.$e, it is als' *'ssible !'$ t)em t' !.ncti'n as cl.es t' t)e line b'.nda$,. 9)at is, if a /'$d is $elati(el, !$e3.ent at t)e beginning '! t)e line, t)en it 'ffe$s e(idence !'$ /)e$e t)e line bo.nda$, falls Ee(i%ence /)ich is /ea7 'n its 'wn, but st$engt)ene% in t)e c'nte2t '! 't)e$ e(i%ence). - )ea$e$ '! t)e te2t (an% a $eade$F m.st be able t' establis) line bo.nda$ies in '$%e$ t' *a$se t)e met$e '! t)e *'em, /)ich I s.ggest is a necessa$, pa$t of t)e p'em1s rece*ti'n. 9)e %ist$ib.ti'n '! g$ammatical m'n's,llables in iambic *entamete$ *'et$, The iambic pentameter line, and grammatical monosyllables in books 8-9 of Paradise Lost -ll t)e *'ems t' be conside$e% )e$e a$e in t)e met$e iambic *entamete$. 9)e iambic *entamete$ line is matc)ed t' a met$ical tem*late 'f ten p'siti'ns, alte$nating wea7 and st$'ng. 9)e line can als' be t)'.g)t '! as a se3.ence '! fi(e iambic feet, each a *ai$ '! /ea7 !'ll'/e% b, st$'ng. < S < S < S < S < S 2 N. Fabb - “ !" in Pa$adise L'st as e(i%ence fo$ t)e met$ical line 9)ese ten *'siti'ns a$e !ille% b, ten s,llables. S'metimes t/' s,llables can fit a single *'siti'n, an% s'metimes t)e$e is an e2t$a s,llable at t)e end. 9)e$e is a c)a$acte$istic $),t)m, wit) st$esse% s,llables tending t' fall in t)e S *'siti'ns, an% .nst$esse% '$ /ea7l, st$esse% s,llables tending t' fall in t)e < *'siti'ns. T)is $),t)m is $a$el, com*letel, *e$i'dic (i.e., alte$nating .nst$esse% an% st$esse% s,llables acr'ss t)e line). 9)e *$ecise const$aints 'n /)at $),t)mic (a$iati'ns a$e *'ssible )a(e been m.c) %iscusse% in met$ical t)e'$,; H'be$t ;$idges [1] /$'te a b''7 'n 0ilt'n1s *$'s'%,, an% $ecent t)e'$etical a**$'aches incl.%e Gans'n an% Ki*a$s7, [12], Fabb and Halle [10], and Ha,es, <ils'n and S)is7' [14]. In t)is *a*e$, I !'cus 'n t)i$teen g$ammatical m'n's,llables. 9)ese incl.de t)e ten /'$ds /)ic) Ing$am an% Swaim ([16]: i2F 'mitte% !$'m t)ei$ *$inte% conco$dance '! 0ilt'n beca.se t)e, /e$e of s.ch )ig) fre3.ency: A, AND, BM, F H, IN, F, N, 9GN, 9 , WI9G. 9' t)is I )a(e adde% t)e *$e*'siti'n -9 Et)e ne2t m'st comm'n '! t)e *$e*'siti'ns in PL), an% H an% ;U9 Em'$e c'mm'n in PL t)an s'me '! t)e /'$ds liste% b, Ing$am an% Swaim). I )a(e t$eate% b't) - an% -N as a single /'$d. -ll '! t)ese /'$ds - *$e*'siti'ns, a$ticles an% c'n8.ncti'ns - ten% t' be .nst$essed, an% t)e, a$e m.c) m'$e li7el, t' a**ea$ in < *'siti'ns t)an in S *'siti'ns.
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