What does the expression "without rhyme or reason" tell us about rhyme? It seems to me to mean that, along with reason, it is one of two valid alternative modes of expression, at least in poetry. Let us consult the excellent J. A. Cuddon's "Literary Terms and Literary Theory," which tells us that it is "the formalized consonance of syllables . . . which probably originated in prehistoric ritual, but only in the last…
SOURCE: John Simon at 02:14PM on March 30, 2016