Rhyme’s Reason

In his classic text, Rhyme’s Reason, the distinguished poet and critic John Hollander surveys the schemes, patterns, and forms of English verse, illustrating each variation with an original and witty self-descriptive example. In this substantially expanded and revised edition, Hollander adds a section of examples taken from centuries of poetry that exhibit the patterns he has described.

“Discussions of prosody usually make for yawns and heavy eyelids, but John Hollander’s book, now usefully augmented, is a sparkling performance. He defines and illustrates the forms and means of English verse in such a way as to teach us, also, the spirit of play which animates even the gravest poem.”—Richard Wilbur

“The most useful guide of its kind in years. It is at once comprehensive, lucid, concise, and fun.”—G. E. Murray, Chicago Sun-Times

 “Marvelously comprehensive, clarifying and useful, [and] . . . also a delight to read.”—John Reardon, Los Angeles Times Book Review

A pre-eminent American poet, John Hollander has written over sixteen volumes of poetry. He has also published several works of literary criticism and has edited numerous anthologies, including the Oxford Anthology of English Literature. His many honors include the Bollingen Prize, the Levinson Prize, and a MacArthur Fellowship. Rhyme’s Reason won the Mina P. Shaughnessy Award from the Modern Language Association when it was first published. John Hollander is currently Sterling Professor of English at Yale University.