Adverbial function in English verse: the case of thus

Abstract

In this article we argue that the use of the word thus in poetry sees a profound and significant expansion in the range and frequency of its uses in the 16th and 17th centuries. Using data compiled by electronic searches, we show that the use of the word reached its apogee in Milton's poetry - and then subsequently declined in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The article explores the links between the use of thus and the epic form in poetry, thereby providing some confirmatory evidence of the relationship between style and function in poetry. It also looks at diachronic, literary factors motivating poetic change.