A Cole Porter Primer

This chapter explores Cole Porter's mastery of prosody, figurative language, and rhyme, tracing how his education in classical and modern literature shapes his lyric style. It begins with an overview of rhetorical traditions from Shakespeare and the Tudor rhetoricians. The chapter shows how Porter applies similar principles through his training in Latin, Greek, French, and English, especially under Dean Abercrombie, who teaches him to align rhythm and music. It emphasizes Porter's flexible use of meter, syncopation, and performance-driven rhythm, alongside his inventive handling of figures such as alliteration, anaphora, antithesis, and especially double entendre. Finally, the chapter underscores Porter's lifelong commitment to rhyme—remote, internal, and imperfect—demonstrating that by 1914 he already master's the essential techniques of his craft.