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What are the different types of poetry?
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We’ll look more at different types of free verse poetry and rhymed poetry, and you can see which ones work best for you. 27 Types of Poetry. You might recognize some of these types of poems from reading poetry like them in school (Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, and Walt Whitman are all names you’ve probably come across in English class!)
- Acrostic. You might remember writing acrostic poems in elementary school. In an acrostic poem, the lines are arranged so the first letter in each line helps to spell out a word.
- Ballad. There’s a reason so many songs are also called ballads—ballads are narrative poems characterized by their melodious rhyme scheme. A ballad can be any length, but it must be a series of rhyming quatrains.
- Elegy. Unlike our previous entries, there are no length or form rules for elegies. However, there is a content requirement: Elegies are about death. Generally, elegies are reflective and written to mourn an individual or group.
- Epic. There’s a reason the adjective epic refers to things that are huge, complex, and/or over-the-top: Epics are long, detailed poems that tell fantastical stories of larger-than-life characters.
- Acrostic. In an acrostic, the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase that’s generally related to the topic of the poem. There are several different types of acrostic, including a double acrostic where both the first and last letter of each line spell out a message.
- Ballad. This is one of the oldest types of poetry, with ancient examples that were passed down orally through the centuries. A ballad tells the story of a person or event.
- Blackout Poetry. ADVERTISEMENT. These poems are unique in that they use something that’s already been written, and strike out most of the text to leave only selected words and phrases.
- Blank Verse. Blank verse doesn’t rhyme, but it’s a structured form of poetry in terms of meter. These poems are almost always written in iambic pentameter (da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM).
- Sonnet. Sonnets are practically synonymous with Shakespeare, but there are actually two different kinds of this famous poetic form. Having originated in 13 century Italy, the sonnet usually deals with love and has two common forms: the Petrarchan (named for its famous practitioner, the poet Petrarch) and the Shakespearean (also known as the English sonnet).
- Villanelle. Villanelles have even more specific rules than sonnets. Luckily, many of the lines are repetitions, but this means you’ll have to take care to make those lines meaningful.
- Haiku. You might remember writing a few of these back in grade school, because not only are these poems short, but they can be very fun to write. The haiku originated in 17 century Japan.
- Ekphrastic Poems. Ekphrastic poems don’t really have specific rules, but they do speak of another work of art. Ekphrasis comes from the Greek word for “description,” and that’s exactly what this poem should do: vividly describe a painting, statue, photograph, or story.
- Sonnet. The invention of the sonnet is first accredited to the thirteenth-century Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini, who crafted the form as an ideal way of expressing ‘courtly love’.
- Ode. Ever get so excited about that new book you’ve been waiting to get your hands on, or that new game with amazing graphics, that you just want to tell everyone about it?
- Ballad. While most modern readers may be more familiar with 80s power ballads than the works of middle-English poets — poetry, culture, and music as we know it today will owe a lot to this form.
- Elegy. An elegy is a mournful poetic form, the origins of which can be traced back to a combination of Ancient Greek poetics and Old English scriptures from the 11th Century, written to lament a death.
Jul 2, 2023 · From the timeless elegance of sonnets to the lyrical beauty of haikus, join us as we delve into the intricate world of different types of poems, revealing their unique characteristics, structures, and charm. In this section you can discover various types of poems in the following categories: Lyric Poetry. Narrative Poetry. Pastoral Poetry.
Jun 7, 2019 · Poetry 101: Learn About Poetry, Different Types of Poems, and Poetic Devices With Examples. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Aug 31, 2022 • 8 min read. Poetry has been around for almost four thousand years. Like other forms of literature, poetry is written to share ideas, express emotions, and create imagery.
