In Meter and Meaning poet Thomas Carper and distinguished scholar Derek Attridge join forces to communicate a new, user-friendly way to explore the rhythms of poetry in English. Side-stepping the jargon that often runs through discussions of meter, the authors begin with the basic idea of poetry as a performance and suggest an entirely fresh approach to reading poetic texts. As they guide us through exercises and ideas, they equip us with a new understanding of the relationship between meter and meaning in poems of all periods. Assuming no previous knowledge of meter, the authors ensure a smooth passage to an advanced knowledge of poetic rhythms. Perhaps even more importantly, they make studying meter a pleasure and reading poetry a revelation. This is the only guide to meter you will ever need and a must-read for anyone who wants to study, write or better appreciate poetic texts.