Ch. 5: The Iambic Pentameter (p. 28)
“
It normally happens that if you put two words together, or two syllables together, one of them will attract more weight, more emphasis, than the other. In other words, most so-called spondees can be read as either iambs or trochees.
— James Fenton
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It normally happens that if you put two words together, or two syllables together, one of them will attract more weight, more emphasis, than the other. In other words, most so-called spondees can be read as either iambs or trochees." in the context of "Ch. 5: The Iambic Pentameter (p. 28)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "James Fenton" (Quotes, An Introduction to English Poetry (2002): Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002, )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About James Fenton
James Martin Fenton (born 25 April 1949) is an English poet, journalist and literary critic. Like his mentor, W. H. Auden, he has been Professor of Poetry at Oxford.
About James Fenton
James Martin Fenton (born 25 April 1949) is an English poet, journalist and literary critic. Like his mentor, W. H. Auden, he has been Professor of Poetry at Oxford.
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