This project began in graduate school at Cornell University, a decidedly encouraging place to pursue my interests in meter, poetics, and theories of genre. For my sense of the linguistic richness of poetry and the value of generative approaches, I am indebted to John Bowers. Debra Fried’s unpar- alleled feeling for prosodic form and poetics across many periods was always humbling and provocative. Roger Gilbert helped me map out twentieth- century poetry, and Jeremy Braddock introduced me to modernist studies and its diverse perspectives on poetry and its institutions. Jonathan Culler, my chair, has been a steadfast supporter for !fteen years, sharing work, coediting an essay collection, and honing my style and argumentation.
I owe my sense of academia at its best to an exceptional graduate com- munity. For our ongoing conversations about life and work, my thanks to Alexis Briley, Becky Colesworthy, Bradley Depew, Sean Franzel, Adam Grener, John Hicks, Aaron Hodges, Rob Lehman, Alex Papanicolopoulos, Seth Perlow, Sarah Pickle, Danielle St. Hilaire, Sarah Senk, Robin Sowards, Cecily Swanson, and Audrey Wasser. My thinking about poetry is !lled with the memory of Alan Young-Bryant, one of my !rst and best friends at Cor- nell. I treasure our time together.