Essential Poetic Genres and Literary Forms Defined

Poetic Genres and Literary Forms

Anthem

An anthem is a song that expresses positive feelings of joy and celebration. It can also be a musical composition that identifies a community, a region, a people, or a nation, uniting those who interpret it.

Ode

An ode is a poetic composition of high tone that deals with various issues, organizing a reflection of the poet. Depending on the theme—which can be religious, heroic, philosophical, or romantic—it is generally applied to any poem intended to be sung.

Elegy

An elegy is a sub-genre that generally refers to any poem of lament. The elegiac attitude expresses regret for anything that is lost: illusions, life, time, a loved one, or a feeling.

Song

A song is an old poetic composition that responds to various genres, tones, and shapes, sharing many characteristics with the ode. In Italian opera, it is a composition divided into long stanzas, almost always consisting of an equal number of heptasyllabic and hendecasyllabic verses, except for the last one, which is shorter.

Eclogue

An eclogue is a dialogue-based sub-genre that functions like a short one-act play. Centered on themes of love, one or several characters develop the narrative in a rural setting, often depicted as a natural paradise.

Satire

Satire is a sub-genre expressing indignation at someone or something, with a moralizing, burlesque, or playful purpose. It may be written in prose, verse, or a combination of both. Satire targets individual or collective vices, follies, abuses, or deficiencies, manifesting through ridicule, farce, and irony by using the weapon of intelligence.

Epistle

An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people in letter form, typically with a didactic, moral, or entertaining intention.

Epigram

An epigram is a brief poetic composition that expresses a single thought or satirical observation with wit.

Mourning

Mourning refers to types of elegies with a cult character, typical of the Middle Ages, in which the poet laments the death of a loved one.

Epitaph

An epitaph is a text honoring the deceased, inscribed on a tile or slab. Traditionally, an epitaph is written in verse, though there are exceptions.

Epithalamium

An epithalamium is a sub-genre of Greek lyric poetry, later imitated by the Romans, meant to be sung at weddings. It is currently used to emphasize the solemnity of various acts, such as weddings, funerals, or masses.