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THE ELEVTENTS OF POETRY

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A. Narrative: .a.recording.of events, someurnes bnef, somerimes long; is iughlyobjecuve, rold by a speaker deuched from rhe achon.

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, ,',',' ':, fusroncai hero or henres of high surJon.

Conventions of the epic:

a. Poet begns by announcing the theme, invoking the aid of a muse, andaskrng her an epic quesrion, wirh rhe reply ro which the story begiru.

b. He iaunches his action in medias res, in the middle of rlLings.

c. The action concerns a hero, a man of smture and sigruficance, whoperforms many notable deeds.

d. There are usually great battles in which the gods themselves rake perr.

e. The poet adopts a style, dignified, elaborate and exalted, suiuble ro histheme.

Types of epics:

a. Classicgl$icr has a dignified style, a background of warfare and good,nerolc events.

H ome r, f hcJJied, Th e O dy s s qt

b. Literarv or AEiificial Fpic: the epic sryle is used *'irh later or differentmateriais.

John Miltan, P_aradise Lnsr

c" National, or Folk Eoic: expresses the ideals, characrer, and radicions ofa people.

Beowulf

d. Mock F.pic: a trivial subject is made ridiculous by being neared wirh rheelaborate and dignified devices of the epic.

Alexander Pope,"Rape of the Lock"

2. B.allad: a narrative poem, usually simple and fairly short, originally designedro be sung-

John Keau, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci"

Characteristics of the ballad:

a. BailaG ixg:n abnrptly, imply the prevrous action, utilize simpie language,tell the storlv tersely through dialogue and described acnon, and make use ofrefrains.

b. The ballad sranza is tpicaltry a qrun-ain of alcrnaung tetrarneer and rrimeterlines rhvmrne abcb.

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nD. Lvric; a subjecrive, reflecrive poem expressrng the thoughrs and especially thefeeiings of a singie speaker. has a reguiar rhyme scheme.

Matthew Arrnld, "Dover Beach"

I . Song: a poem in a regular metrical pattern designed to be sung.

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Shakespearc, "BIow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind"

Elerv: a dignified poem mourning rhe death of an indivrdual or of all men.

Thonas Groy, "Elegy Written in a Countrt- Churclryard"

C)de: a ly-ic poem of some iengrh, serious in subject and digniFred in sryle; apoem prarsing someone or something.

John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn"

Sonnet: a verse form containing fourteen iines, in English usually iambicpentameter, md a complicated rhyme scheme.

Types of Sonnets:

a. Petrarchan fltalian) Sonnetl an ocuve and sestet, beween which a

break in thought occurs. The tradirional rhyme scheme is abba abba cdecde (or, in the sestet, cd cd cd or any vanarion of c, d, e). The ocuvecontains the problem, question, or theme, and the sestet presems ar answer,a commenl, or a proposidon. An expression of indignation, desire, ordoubt may occur in the opening lines which will be resoived in the sestet.

John Milan, "On His Blind,ess"

b. Shakespeafean fFnglish) So[nqt: *ree quatrains and concludingcoupiet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg or abba cddc effe gg. Eachquau-arn develops a differenr aspect of the subject, and *re coupiet makes a

final comrrent,

Willil;,rn SWespeare, "Shall I Compare Thce?"

f)escriptive: an imper:onal word painring. A trrrly descripdve poem is objective;rhar is, the poei is mre intercsted in depicdng a scene than in his own efirotions.

Scou. "A Sumner Storm"

flramatic: includes cornedies, tragedies, farces; narrative but tells a story byIneans of speech and acnon.

Special Kinds of E$ems:

i . Dramatic Monologu.e: a poem consrsting of the words of a single character,who reveels in tus speech his own nanre and the dramaric siruanon. Itreveals place, dme, and idendties of the characters, and discloses thepsychology of the speaker at a significant moment. The speaker addresses alisrcner who does not engage in dialogue but who helps to develop the speech,

Roben Browning, "My [.a,st Duchess"

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