the prosodic interest, both of which are considerable, do not combine and are even often at odds (Auden 213).
Auden also believes that Poe lets metric considerations dictate his choice of words, often militating against sense, and Auden also says that Poe often simply chooses the wrong meter. In "The Raven," Poe is faced with am narrative structured around a series of questions, and this structure is artificial and can only be accepted by assuming that the speaker is a self-torturer. The effect is only possible if the narrative of the story, as opposed to the questions and answers, flowed naturally. Auden says that the meter Poe has chosen, involving frequent feminine rhymes such as are rare in English, works against the n
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