The Turn of Rhythm: How Victorian Poetry Shaped a New Concept

The word "rhythm" was not commonly used until the nineteenth century, and it had no cultural associations. This book explores how poetry played a crucial role in the development of anglophone culture's rhythm, focusing on the nascent discursive fields that perceived a need to conceptualize rhythm and the centrality of poetry to that development.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: University of Virginia Press

The Turn of Rhythm: How Anglophone Culture Got Rhythm

Until the cusp of the nineteenth century, the word "rhythm" was not widely used and had no cultural connotations. This book delves into the intricate and often overlooked journey of how anglophone culture acquired rhythm, with a particular focus on the pivotal role that poetry played in this narrative.

The Turn of Rhythm offers the first comprehensive study of this distinctive nineteenth-century phenomenon. Author Ewan Jones explores how various emerging discursive fields, ranging from speech therapy to idealist philosophy to anthropology and the thermal sciences, perceived a growing need to conceptualize rhythm. He demonstrates the centrality of poetry to this development, as poetry had the ability to activate states and processes that were beyond the scope of more discursive or propositional thinking.

Jones draws on the works of renowned poets such as Robert Browning, George Eliot, Alice Meynell, and A. C. Swinburne, as well as on the philosophy, science, and anthropology of the day. By tracing the history of the concept of rhythm, Jones aims to empower it to perform new work in the ongoing education of our bodies and minds.

This book sheds light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which rhythm became an integral part of anglophone culture, and it provides valuable insights into the role of poetry in shaping our understanding and appreciation of rhythm. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history, literature, and culture of the nineteenth century.

Weight: 272g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813950310