Poetry

Definition : Definition Poetry, from the Greek poesis meaning 'making' or 'creating' Poetry is more than just rhyming and prose in meters and verse. It is an art form. Poetry is about expression. Poetry expresses the way we feel about a certain subject through imagery and other senses. Poetry really has no one set definition. Some poets defines poetry as the art of writing thoughts, ideas, and dreams into imaginative language.


Slide3 : Poetry really has no one set definition. Some poets defines poetry as the art of writing thoughts, ideas, and dreams into imaginative language . There are many contradicting views and no one can agree what is the essence of poetry. Some poets think that poetry is the expression of emotions and rules do not matter, while other poets suggest the poetry is all about the rules and the rhythm that must be followed. The perfect mix to define poetry is somewhere in between.


Slide4 : Basic Definition Poetry is the most compressed form of literature. Poetry is composed of carefully chosen words expressing great depth of meaning. Poetry uses specific devices such as connotation, sound, and rhythm to express the appropriate combination of meaning and emotion.


Slide5 : There are two basic types of poetry: Traditional - follows standard rules of grammar and syntax with a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme. Modern - avoids rhyme and standard grammatical organization and seeks new ways of expression.


Slide6 : Quotes concerning poetry; "Poetry is the doorway to the soul.“ "To write a poem is to show your heart and soul to the world." "Poetry is the silent voice that is heard everywhere inside of us..."


Slide7 : Parts of a Poem:


Slide8 : Poetic genres In addition to specific forms of poems, poetry is often thought of in terms of different genres and subgenres. A poetic genre is generally a tradition or classification of poetry based on the subject matter, style, or other broader literary characteristics


Main Genres : Main Genres Narrative poetry Epic poetry Dramatic poetry Satirical poetry Lyric poetry Verse fable Prose poetry


ENGLISH POETRY : The earliest known English poem is a hymn on the creation; Bede attributes this to Cædmon. This is generally taken as Beowulf is the only heroic epic to have survived in its entirety marking the beginning of Anglo-Saxon poetry. ENGLISH POETRY


The Anglo-Norman period and the Later Middle Ages : The Anglo-Norman period and the Later Middle Ages With the Norman conquest of England, beginning in 1066, the Anglo-Saxon language rapidly diminished as a written literary language. The new aristocracy spoke French, and this became the standard language of courts, parliament, and polite society. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight most famous poem of that time.


The Elizabethans : The Elizabethans


Courtly Poetry : Courtly Poetry With the consolidation of Elizabeth's power, a genuine court sympathetic to poetry and the arts in general emerged. This encouraged the emergence of a poetry aimed at, and often set in, an idealised version of the courtly world. Among the best known examples of this are Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, sonnets of William Shakespeare and the poetry of Walter Raleigh


Elizabethan verse drama : Elizabethan verse drama Elizabethan verse drama is widely considered to be one of the major achievements of literature in English, and its most famous exponent, William Shakespeare, is revered as the greatest poet in the language. This drama, which served both as courtly masque and popular entertainment, deals with all the major themes of contemporary literature and life. There are plays on European, classical, and religious themes reflecting the importance of humanism and the Reformation. There are also a number of plays dealing with English history that may be read as part of an effort to strengthen the British national myth and as artistic underpinnings for Elizabeth's resistance to the Spanish and other foreign threats. Ben Jonson. Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare.


Classicism : Classicism Gavin Douglas' Aeneid, Thomas Campion's metrical experiments, and Spenser's Shepheardes Calender and plays like Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra are all examples of the influence of classicism on Elizabethan poetry.


The Metaphysical poets : The Metaphysical poets The early 17th century saw the emergence of this group of poets who wrote in a witty, complicated style. The most famous of the Metaphysicals is probably John Donne. Others include George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Andrew Marvell and Richard Crashaw.


The Cavalier Poets : The Cavalier Poets The Cavalier poets wrote in a lighter, more elegant and artificial style than the Metaphysical poets. Leading members of the group include Ben Jonson, Richard Lovelace, Robert Herrick, Edmund Waller, Thomas Carew and John Denham. The Cavalier poets can be seen as the forerunners of the major poets of the Augustan era, who admired them greatly.


The Restoration and 18th century : The Restoration and 18th century Satire All the major poets of the period, Samuel Butler, John Dryden, Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson, and the Irish poet Jonathan Swift, wrote satirical verse. 18th century classicism The 18th century is sometimes called the Augustan age, and contemporary admiration for the classical world extended to the poetry of the time. Not only did the poets aim for a polished high style in emulation of the Roman ideal, they also translated and imitated Greek and Latin verse. Dryden translated all the known works of Virgil, and Pope produced versions of the two Homeric epics.


The Romantic Movement : The Romantic Movement The main poets of this movement were William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Keats. The birth of English Romanticism is often dated to the publication in 1798 of Wordsworth and Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads.


Modernism : Modernism The early decades of the 20th century saw the United States begin to overtake the United Kingdom as the major economic power. In the world of poetry, this period also saw American writers at the forefront of avant-garde practices. Among the foremost of these poets were Gertrude Stein, T. S. Eliot, H.D. and Ezra Pound, each of whom spent an important part of their writing lives in England, France and Italy. Pound's involvement with the Imagists marked the beginning of a revolution in the way poetry was written. English poets involved with this group included D. H. Lawrence, Richard Aldington, T. E. Hulme, F. S. Flint, E. E. Cummings, Ford Madox Ford, Allen Upward and John Cournos.