How is a typical line of Old English alliterative verse divided?
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Correct answer: Into two half-lines by a caesura
Each line of Old English alliterative verse is divided into two half-lines — the a-verse and b-verse — separated by a strong medial pause called a caesura. This bipartite structure is the foundation of the verse form.
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More Alliterative Verse questions
- What role does the caesura play in alliterative verse?
- How many primary stressed syllables typically occur in each line of Old English alliterative verse?
- Which syllables are linked by alliteration in an Old English poetic line?
- In a standard alliterative line, which stresses usually alliterate?
- How are vowel sounds treated in Old English alliteration?
- Which consonant combination is treated as a single sound for alliteration?