ON THE METRIC OF FREE VERSE

Abstract

The essay examines the "free verse" of modern Italian poetry, hypothesizing that two general tendencies have followed one another: in the first phase it was possible to overcome the traditional prosody – based above all on the Leopardi model – while maintaining its rhythmic characteristics, in particular in the first part of the lines. In a second phase, a versification based on accents and not on syllables became more important. This change can be traced back to a change in collective prosodic competences, due to the definitive affirmation of the typical forms of tonal music. The hypothesis is also verified through the analysis of the recordings of the poets who read their poems, using the material preserved in the websites "VIP" and "Lyrikline". This feedback – which must be made with all the necessary caution – is nevertheless essential when trying to analyze a versification based on accents and not on syllables, also because it is not suited to the natural rhythm of the Italian language.