Literary Forms Flashcards
Literary Forms:
These are the various purposes for which poetry (and literature in general) is written.
Allegory:
A tale in verse or prose in which the characters, actions, or settings stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities.
Ballad:
A song-like poem that tells a story.
Elegy:
A poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual.
Epic:
A long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated.
Epigram:
A short, witty saying.
Epitaph:
An inscription on a gravestone or a short poem written in memory of someone who has died.
Fable:
A brief story that is told to present a moral or practical lesson.
Lyric:
A poem, usually a short one, which expresses a speaker’s personal thoughts or feelings.
Myth:
A story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that is intended to give meaning to the mysteries of the world.
Narrative:
A poem that tells a story.
Ode:
A complex, often lengthy, lyric poem, written in a dignified formal style on some serious subject.
Pastoral:
A poem that deals in an idealized way with shepherds and rustic life.
