The book presents the history of Russian literature from the point of view of the interaction of verse and prose in it, the distribution in different periods of certain transitional and hybrid forms: verlibra, metric and metrized, strophically ordered, graphic and small prose, etc. Taking into account the rhythmic features of literature, the epochs of maximum activity of transitional forms (Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages of Russian poetry) and the intermediate periods of strict confrontation between verse and prose are analyzed.