Robert Bridges's theory of elision is a theory of elision developed by the poet Robert Bridges, while he was working on a prosodic analysis of John Milton's poems Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes.
Bridges describes his theory in thorough detail in his 1921 book Milton's Prosody.
With his definition of poetic elision, Bridges is able to demonstrate that no line in Paradise Lost contains an extra unmetrical syllable mid-line; that is, any apparent extra mid-line syllable can be explained as an example of Bridges's elision.
Bridges notes that the Milton's concept of elision is broadened in Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes.
Specifically, he observes the following types of elision: These last two, Bridges describes as "quite abhorrent to the style of Paradise Lost" [1]