Opinions on: line as a functional unit

[nablator]

I had completely forgotten that this writing style is called “acrostic.”

Any composition including a (meaningful) text that can be read in the initial letters.

Acrostics are common in medieval literature, where they usually serve to highlight the name of the poet or his patron, or to make a prayer to a saint. They are most frequent in verse works but can also appear in prose.

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This doesn't explain the separate column of capitals. It's a tradition, like capitalizing the first letter in poetry, that had no function other than aesthetic I suppose.