The art of scansion

The art of scansion by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a critical letter-essay on poetic meter and classical pronunciation, written in the early 19th century. It examines how English verse should be scanned in relation to Greek and Latin prosody, addressing accent, quantity, and rhythm. The likely topic is the principles of scansion and the expressive effects of different metrical feet in both classical and English poetry.

The book presents a spirited letter to Uvedale Price that contests prevailing views on pronouncing Greek and Latin and their impact on metre. Drawing on Marmontel’s distinction between dactyls and anapests, the author analyzes lines from Milton, Hesiod, Virgil, and Pope to show how rhythm conveys motion and force, and argues that English can naturally host choriambs and even pyrrhics, offering numerous examples from Milton, Byron, Shakespeare, Campbell, Anstey, and Cowper. She challenges claims about hexameter openings, cites Lucretius and Greek epic for counterexamples, and probes Latin accent rules (Donatus, Quintilian) to expose inconsistencies in strict accentual systems. Throughout, she balances technical rigor with wit—defending expressive readings, objecting to ungainly elisions, and even playfully rebuking a slight to “Will o’ the wisp”—before closing with cordial personal remarks.