Chapter 1
Forms and Genres in Poetry
►►Objective Type Questions & Answers:
1. What is an epic poem?
Ans: An epic pic poem or simply an epic, is alengthy
narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary
characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to
the mortal universe for their descendants.
2. What is the recognized oldest epic?
Ans: The oldest epic recognized is the Epic of Gilgamesh (c.2500- 1300 BCE), which was recorded in ancient Sumer during the Neo- Sumerian Empire.
3. What is the topic of the Epic of Gilgamesh?
Ans: The poem details the exploits of Gilgamesh, the
king of Uruk. Although recognized as a historical figure, Gilgamesh, as
represented in the epic, is a largely legendary or mythical figure.
4. In which language are the epics Silappatikaram and Manimekalai written ?
Ans: These are written in Tamil.
5. Mention some modern epic poem.
Ans: Epic poems of the modern era include Derek Walcott's Omeros, Mircea Cartarescu's 'The Levant and Adam Mickiewicz's 'Pan Tadeusz.
6. Who studied the oral epic traditions in the Balkans in the early 20th Century?
Ans: Milman Parry and Albert Lord.
7. What model, used for composing epic poems was demonstrated by them?
Ans: Paratactic model.
8. What are the earliest epics of Western literature?
Ans: The Homeric epics are the earliest works of Western literature.
9. How does Aristotle define Epic in his Poetics?
Ans: In his work 'Poetics', Aristotle defines an epic as one of the forms of poetry, contrasted with lyric poetry and drama (in the form of tragedy and comedy).
10. What does a typical epic hero do?
Ans: The hero generally participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey and returns home significantly transformed by his journey.
11. What is the primary form of epic?
Ans: The primary form of epic is the heroic epic, including such works as the Iliad and Mahabharata.
12. What is the second major type of sonnet?
Ans: The second major type of sonnet is the Shakespearean or English sonnet.
13. On whose death Matthew Arnold wrote "Thyrsis" (1867)?
Ans: On the death of the poet Arthur Hugh Clough.
14. Who is the poet of the famous elegy, "An Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard"?
Ans: Thomas Gray.
15. Why is satirical poetry thought of as a mighty genre?
Ans: In literature, satire, including satirical poetry, is thought of as a 'mighty' genre because it aims to instigate change, often by making a person, a group, a thing, or an idea look so silly, they lose their reputation.
16. What are the three primary purposes of satirical poetry?
Ans: Satirical poetry has three primary purposes: to amuse the reader, to provide social commentary and to encourage reflection and change.
17. Alexander Pope's 'The Rape of the Lock' is a famous example of a Horatian/Juvenalian Satire.
Ans: Horatian
18. Samuel Johnson's 'London' is a famous example of a Horatian/Juvenalian Satire.
Ans: Juvenalian.
►► Very Short Type Questions & Answers:
1. What do you mean by the term 'epic'?
Ans: An epic poem is a long, narrative poem that typically details extraordinary feats and adventures of characters from a distant past. The word "epic" comes from the ancient Greek term "epos," which means "story, word, poem". Some examples of epic poems include: Iliad, The Odyssey, Edda, Nibelungenlied, Kalevala, The Epic of Gilgamesh.
2. How does Aristotle compare Epic with Tragedy in 'Poetics?
Ans: According to Aristotle, Epic poetry agrees with Tragedy in so far as it is an imitation in verse of characters of a higher type. They differ in that Epic poetry admits but one kind of meter and is narrative in form. They differ, again, in their length: for Tragedy endeavors, as far as possible, to confine itself to a single revolution of the sun, or but slightly to exceed this limit, whereas the Epic action has no limits of time. All the elements of an Epic poem are found in Tragedy, but the elements of a Tragedy are not all found in the Epic poem.
3. What is little epic'?
Ans: The term 'epyllion', which means "little epic", came into use in the nineteenth century. It refers primarily to the erudite, shorter hexameter poems of the Hellenistic period and the similar works composed at Rome from the age of the neoterics; to a lesser degree, the term includes some poems of the English Renaissance, particularly those influenced by Ovid. The most famous example of classical epyllion is perhaps Catullus 64.
4. What is a Sonnet?
Ans: A sonnet is a short lyric poem that consists of 14 lines, typically written in iambic pentameter (a 10-syllable pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables) and following a specific rhyme scheme.
5. What is a Spenserian sonnet?
Ans: The Spenserian sonnet is a sonnet form named for 16th- century English poet Edmund Spenser, who introduced this structure in his 1595 collection of sonnets titled Amoretti.
The Spenserian sonnet is extremely similar to the Shakespearean sonnet. The main difference is the rhyme scheme: whereas the Shakespearean rhyme scheme introduces a new rhyme in each quatrain, the Spenserian sonnet carries over the latter rhyme from the previous quatrain in a chain rhyme: abab bcbc eded ee. Like both the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, Spenserian sonnets are normally written in iambic pentameter.
6. Mention some famous pastoral elegies.
Ans: Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Adonais" (1821), on the death of the poet John Keats, and Matthew Arnold's "Thyrsis" (1867), on the death of the poet Arthur Hugh Clough.
7. How does typically an elegy end?
Ans: Typically, elegies end on a somewhat hopeful note, with the poet reconciling him-or herself to the death and ultimately discovering some form of consolation.
▸▸▸ Short Type Questions & Answers:
1. What is the significance of narrative in Epic Poetry? Briefly elucidate.
Ans: There are many familiar tropes to the epic poem narrative like heroic tales of swords, gods and monsters. Although epics have appeared all over the world in different periods of history, their narratives can often be remarkably similar. Normally an epic poem involves a hero (usually male) who sets off on a journey, more often than not a physical journey like 'The Odyssey' or 'The Epic of Gilgamesh Sometimes the journey can be more psychological, "The Iliad", the hero Achilles goes through an immense emotion journey Epic heroes, across their journeys, more than often find themselve coming across a variety of terrifying obstacles. Sometimes in the of wild beasts and sometimes from the many gods and goddess who tended to meddle in the lives of ancient heroes. These obstacle feature often in epic poems as a chance to show the audience ho brave, strong or noble the poem's hero is. On rare occasions, an epi poem may use an obstacle to expose a flaw or weakness in the he this would normally occur towards the e beginning of a poem, to sho how the hero grows on their journey. form One motivating factor for these heroes is that of fame and glory epic heroes wish to be remembered for eternity. As a result, they defy the gods and fight monsters, leaving home for lengthy periods hoping to return and be adored. The lives of these heroes are often short but their aim is to be remembered for their outstanding acts of bravery by later generations.
2. Write a note on Miltonic sonnet.
Ans: The Miltonic sonnet was named for 17th-century English poet John Milton, who is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. While this sonnet form is mostly the same as that of the Petrarchan sonnet (it uses the Petrarchan rhyme scheme of abba abba cde cde), Miltonic sonnets use enjambment to offer a more compact. interconnected presentation of the thoughts being expressed. (Enjambment is when a sentence, thought, or phrase continues beyond a line in poetry without pause.) Another key difference between the two sonnet forms is theme: Petrarchan sonnets tend to focus on love and romance, while Miltonic sonnets are often about faith or political social matters.
3. What are the various types of elegy?
Ans: There are a few different types of elegy. These are-Personal elegy, Public elegy and Pastoral elegy.
(i) Personal Elegy: This type of elegy is a personal lament for someone the poet knew and cared for. Personal elegy, as the name suggests, is deeply personal. It is a poetic expression of grief for someone close to the poet. A classic example is Alfred Lord Tennyson's "In Memoriam," an elegy written for his close friend Arthur Hallam.
(ii) Public Elegy: A public elegy mourns the loss of a public figure or a public tragedy. The focus here is not on personal grief but on shared sorrow and commemoration. W.H. Auden's "In Memory of W.B. Yeats" is a well-known public elegy.
(iii) Pastoral Elegy: This form of elegy uses pastoral elements (like shepherds or nature) as a metaphor for loss and mourning. This form often includes shepherds or other rustic figures to symbolize innocence and peacefulness. John Milton's "Lycidas" is a famous example of a pastoral elegy.
4. Write a short note on lyric poetry.
Ans: A lyric is a type of personal rhythmic poetry. A lyric poem does not contain a narrative because its intent is making feelings understood rather than relating events. It is concerned with the often intense or complicated feelings of the speaker (who may or may not be the poet themselves).
The word lyric comes from the lyre, an ancient Greek portable harp frequently used by performers. Lyrical poetry was originally meant to be set to music and performed. With the advent of the printing press, performed poetry took a backseat to written works, but since the mid-20th century and the ubiquitous access to popular music, people are as likely to hear a lyric as they are to read it.
Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle categorized all poetry as either lyrical, dramatic, or epic. Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.
It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also not equivalent to Ancient Greek lyric poetry, which was principally limited to song lyrics, or chantey verse.
Much lyric poetry depends on regular meter based either on number of syllables or on stress - with two short syllables typically being exchangeable for one long syllable - which is required for song lyrics in order to match lyrics with interchangeable tunes that followed a standard pattern of rhythm. Although much modern lyric poetry is no longer song lyrics, the rhythmic forms have persisted without the music.
5. What are the various types of Lyric poetry?
Ans: Various types of Lyric poetry are-
(i) Elegy: An elegy is a poetic lamentation, typically beginning with mourning the loss of the narrator's beloved and moving through the stages of grief. Traditionally, these poems are written in quatrains of iambic pentameter with an ABAB rhyme scheme, but modern poets take different approaches. Alfred Lord Tennyson's "In Memoriam A.H.H." is an elegy.
(ii) Sonnet: There are several types of sonnets, including Shakespearean and Petrarchan, but typically, all sonnets are 14 rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter, and a dramatic turn occurs somewhere in the poem. Shakespeare may be the poet most associated with sonnets due to his impact on the literary world, as well as his prolific collection of sonnets-he wrote more than 150 sonnets.
(iii) Ode: An ode sings the praises of any person, place, or thing the speaker deems worthy of celebration. The tone is classically serious, sincere, and reverent. Some sources consider the ode to be a subgenre of lyric poetry, with forms like the sonnet and the elegy falling under its umbrella.
(iv) Ghazal: The ghazal is one of the first types of lyric poetry. It is an ancient and complex form composed of couplets, wherein every couplet is a complete expression - nearly poems in their own right. The first line of every ghazal poem is end-stopped - or paused typically with a punctuation mark. The poet's name is slipped into the couplet, sometimes surreptitiously and sometimes as an opportunity for the poet to speak to themselves in third person. Many modern- day poets write in this form, among them Agha Shahid Ali, who wrote "Even the Rain."
(v) Sestina: Similar to the ghazal and its complex construction, the sestina is a seven-stanza, unrhymed, fixed-verse form with repeated end-words. This French-based poem is often criticized for its strict boundaries, but poets like Ezra Pound-who wrote "Sestina: Altaforte" - continue to compose in this form.
(vi) Villanelle: The villanelle is another repetition-based form, this one with five three-line stanzas and one final four-line stanza. The rhyme scheme for the first three stanzas is ABA, while its final 1950s and '60s, confessional poets like Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton brought lyric poetry back into fashion and made it almost a form of activism by discussing sex, mental illness, and other taboo topics.
