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Poetry as a literary genre
Poetry is the first literary genre to be considered because, as for any other language, the first Anglo-Saxon literary works were passed on from generation to generation orally, and poetry, with its rhythm and musi¬cal qualities, was easier to learn by heart.
Poetry derives its name from the Greek verb poiéin which means "to create". It was born as an oral art generally accompanied by dancing and music and is the oldest form of literature. People used it as a means:
to express the most remarkable events in their lives;
to convey the feelings associated with them.
Poetry is characterised by musical patterns of sounds which are based on the natural qualities of spoken language. Its language is far more condensed and intensified: the poet combines words to make his reader feel what he has felt, and experience what he has experienced.
Basic structural units
The structural units of poetry are: l the line (the basic unit);
the stanza;
the canto or book.
All these can vary almost infinitely.
A line of poetry in English is usually from eight to twelve syllables in length and stanzas are normally from two to twelve lines long.
Common types of stanza
The types of stanza are:
the couplet (two lines);
the tercet (three lines); ,
the quatrain (four lines);
the sestet (six lines);
the octave (eight lines).
A complete poem may consist of only two lines, as in the case of the epigram, while narrative poems may extend over thousands of lines.
The main kinds of poetry
The main kinds of poetry are narrative and epic, dramatic, satiric, and lyric. Narrative and epic, dramatic and satiric poetry tell a story in verse and may express ; moral commentary.
Lyric poems, which are generally very short, are relatively fixed forms used in al most every age, especially because of their musical quality and as a means for the ex pression of personal feelings.
Some fixed forms of poetry
Some fixed forms are:
the elegy, which combines natural setting with poetic lamentation or speculation o death;
the ballad, generally meant to be sung and used to express basic human emotions such as love and hate or fear and wonder at physical and supernatural worlds;
the sonnet, which, though the most formal among the lyric poems, is capable of great variety and intensity;
the ode, which is another classical form, is quite long and complex. Its form, however, is determined by the theme (usually the celebration of an abstract concept) and situation. .
Three important elements
The three most important elements of poetry are:
its sound;
its visual layout;
the special way it uses language.
Therefore it is necessary to focus our attention on the means by which the poet com-
municates his message.
An analysis of the poet's technique, of his use of language, of the tone of his work, should increase the enjoyment through a better understanding of the poem. |
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