Robert Marteau and the French Blank Alexandrine
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Thanks to the inspiring Three Thousand Years of Hebrews Versification: Essays in Comparative Prosody by Benjamin Harshav (Yale University Press, 2014) and in particular its first chapter, “Basic Aspects of Meter and Rhythm,” it is possible to take a fresh look at the history of French verse and its elusive relations between meter, rhythm, and poetic breath. In this essay I will examine the features of the rhymed alexandrine (the classical type of French verse), the various attempts to go beyond its limits, and the recent creation of a blank alexandrine, which blends rhythmic balance with ample phrasing and syntactic scope.
DOI: 10.82940/84qs-6861
Author: Pavel, Thomas
Institution: University of Chicago
Language: English
Topic: French Literature and Poetry
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W3034431904
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