[116]
Therefore rhythmical
structure will hold the same place in prose that is
held by versification in poetry.
The best judge as to rhythm is the ear, which
appreciates fullness of rhythm or feels the lack of it,
is offended by harshness, soothed by smooth and
excited by impetuous movement, and approves
stability, while it detects limping measures and
rejects those that are excessive and extravagant.
It is for this reason that those who have received a
thorough training understand the theory of artistic
structure, while even the untrained derive pleasure
from it.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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