I’ll be the first to confess that poetry can feel intimidating at first glance.
Often short, cryptic, and packed with symbolism and figurative language, understanding it requires special attention. But knowing the fundamental elements helps readers connect with poetry on a deeper level. We become able to meet the writer where they intended. When we understand poetic structure, we feel through poems at the author’s pace. Deciphering figurative language translates each line into our own words. And understanding poetic genres? Well, that opens us to an entirely new perspective. (But more on that ahead…)
Throughout the Poetic Basics series, we’ll dive into each of the three elements vital to understanding poetry: genre, structure, and figurative language. It’s time to see poetry through the eyes of poets. Hear their voices clearly. Celebrate the symbolism and metaphors. Allow yourself to be moved, expanded, and transformed by the work of poets in a way they always dreamed of.
Let’s kick off this series with genre.
What Is Poetic Genre?
Genre refers to the purpose or type of a poem based on characteristics like subject, structure, style, or tone.
Defining this can be our first clue when confused about what a poem is truly trying to convey. Consider asking, “What is this poem aiming to do?” instead of, “What does this poem mean?” The poet’s selected genre reveals the lens through which they created. It affects tone, structure, speaker, and even how seriously or literally a poem should be taken.
Common Poetic Genres:
- Lyric poetry (expresses personal emotion or reflection)
- Narrative poetry (tells a story)
- Free Verse (void of regular rhyme schemes or meter)
- Ode (addresses and honors a subject)
- Satire (uses humor or exaggeration to critique)
- Dramatic monologue (a character speaks to an implied audience)
Identifying a Poem’s Genre
Rather than running through a checklist to define a poem’s genre, try a simpler approach. Look for a few signals to reveal the author’s intended lens.
- Who is the speaker?
- What is the story, if any?
- What is the author’s intended tone?
- What is the subject of the poem?
- Which emotions are stirred within as I read?
A first-person speaker may suggest a narrative or lyric poem, while a character’s name could appear in a dramatic monologue poem. The irony of a satirical poem stirs up way more laughter and joy than the depth of an ode.
How Genre Shifts Our Perspective
Noting the pieces of a complex poem helps us narrow our focus and correctly embrace the poem’s purpose. Genre shapes our perspective. Poems with the same subject can have entirely different meanings when genre is considered.
For example, take into account poems on love. Undoubtedly, the most written about subject, love, evokes endless emotions within us. It has been written about through millions of lenses, each entirely different.
A sonnet on love could focus on longing, joy, or uncertainty. The speaker’s feelings take center stage for an intimate moment between them and the reader.
On the other hand, a satirical poem has a vastly different approach. Poets could use mocking tones to show the unrealistic expectations love places in our minds. The intention isn’t to share confessions but rather to question how we define love itself.
Defining a genre opens the world of the poem itself up to us. It allows us a chance to adjust our expectations, translate figurative and ambiguous language, and fully hear the speaker’s voice. Above all, it grants us a chance to relate to the poet and poem genuinely. This connection sets the groundwork for us to be forever changed and expanded by the work we experience.
