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IMC 2006: Sessions

Session 606: The Metre of Alliterative Verse

Tuesday 11 July 2006, 11.15-12.45

Organiser:Noriko Inoue, University of Bristol
Moderator/Chair:Ad Putter, Department of English, University of Bristol
Paper 606-aFormulas in Middle English Alliterative Poetry
(Language: English)
Elizabeth Solopova, Department of Special Collections & Western Manuscripts, Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Language and Literature - Middle English
Paper 606-bMetrical Levels: Stress and Alliteration in Old and Middle English
(Language: English)
Nicolay Yakovlev, Wolfson College, University of Oxford
Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Language and Literature - Middle English
Paper 606-cThe Rhythmic Shape of the A-Verse in Middle English Alliterative Poetry
(Language: English)
Noriko Inoue, University of Bristol
Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Language and Literature - Middle English
Abstract

The purpose of this session is to provide new approaches for the study of alliterative verse metre, a field which has been enjoying growing scholarly intrest in recent years. Elizabeth Solopova will explore the question of formulaic diction in Middle English alliterative poetry and discuss the origin, development, and functions of the formulaic style from a new perspective. Nicolay Yakovlev will then embark on a fresh examination of a controversial issue, the relationship between metrical stress and alliteration in Old English and Middle English. Noriko Inoue will discuss the rhythmic shape of the a-verse in Middle English unrhymed alliterative long lines and propose a new theory of alliterative a-verses.