Pause and Effect: An Introduction to the History of Punctuation in the WestScolar Press, 1992 - 327 pages From its publication in 1992 Pause and Effect has become a cornerstone of the study of punctuation across the world. Described as 'magisterial' by Lynne Truss in her best-selling Eats, Shoots and Leaves, this book has stimulated interest and scholarly debates among writers, literary critics, philosophers, linguists, rhetoricians, palaeographers and all those who study the use of language. To celebrate this extraordinary achievement, Pause and Effect has been republished in September 2008, coinciding with the publication of the author's new work, Their Hands Before Our Eyes. The first part of Pause and Effect identifies the graphic symbols of punctuation and deals with their history. It covers the antecedents of the repertory of symbols, as well as the ways in which the repertory was refined and augmented with new symbols to meet changing requirements. The second part offers a short general account of the principal influences which have contributed to the ways in which the symbols have been applied in texts, focusing on the evidence of the practice itself rather than on theorists. The treatment enables the reader to compare usages in different periods, and to isolate the principles which underlie the use of punctuation in all periods. The examples and plates which are at the core of the book provide the reader with an opportunity to test the author's observations. The examples are taken from a wide range of literary texts from different periods and languages. Latin texts are accompanied by English translation intended to illustrate the use of punctuation in the originals in so far as this is possible. |
Contents
Aids for Inexperienced Readers and the Prehistory of Punctuation | 9 |
Components in | 20 |
Augmenting Old Notation with New Symbols | 30 |
Copyright | |
25 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Pause and Effect: An Introduction to the History of Punctuation in the West M.B. Parkes Limited preview - 2016 |
Pause and Effect: An Introduction to the History of Punctuation in the West Malcolm Beckwith Parkes No preview available - 1993 |
Common terms and phrases
ancient apodosis appears autem Bibl Bibliothèque Bodleian Library caesura Cassiodorus century Cicero clausulae Codex codice cola colon Coluccio Salutati comma comma mark commata commentary copy corrector diple discussed disjunction distinctiones double punctus edition eius emphasize employed English enim etiam example exemplar facs flexus function funt grammatical humanist ibid idem indicate the end inserted interpuncts Irish Isidore Latin layout leonine rhymes letter littera notabilior liturgy London major medial pause manuscripts margin Medieval minuscule nunc Oxford paragraph Paris passage period Petrarch plate poem points positurae printed printers protasis psalm punctuation punctus elevatus punctus flexus punctus interrogativus punctus versus quae quam quid Quintilian quod quotations reading recitation tone repertory rhetorical structure rhyme roman scribes scriptio continua Scriptorium Scripts and Readers semi-colon sense sententia separate Sicily speech stanza sunt symbols Uncial verse virgula suspensiva Wearmouth-Jarrow words