What is a poem? Definition and concept

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

What is a poem? This is a work that is located at the junction of two literary "worlds" - poetry and prose. Like prose, the poem has a narrative logic, a real story with a denouement and an epilogue. And as poetry - conveys the depth of the subjective experiences of the hero. Many of the classics that everyone took in school were written in this genre.

Let's remember the poem "Dead Souls" by the Ukrainian classic - N. V. Gogol. Here, a wonderful large-scale idea echoes the ability to find depth in a person.

Let's remember the poetry of the genius A. Pushkin - "Ruslan and Lyudmila". But besides them, there are many more interesting works.

History of the development of the genre

The poem grew out of the very first folklore songs, through which each nation transmitted historical events and myths to their children. This is the well-known "Iliad" and "Odyssey", and "The Song of Roland" - a French epic. In Russian culture, the progenitor of all poems was a historical song -"The Tale of Igor's Campaign".

Then the poem stood out from such syncretic art, people began to supplement these epics, introduce new heroes. Over time, new ideas and new stories appeared. New authors came up with their own stories. Then new types appeared: the burlesque poem, the heroic-comics; the life and affirmation of the people ceased to be the main theme of the works.

This is how the genre developed, getting deeper and more complex. The elements of the composition gradually formed. And now this direction in art is already a whole science.

Artwork structure

What do we know about the poem? The key feature is that the work has a clear interconnected structure.

All parts are interconnected, the hero somehow develops, passes tests. His thoughts, as well as feelings, are the focus of the narrator. And all the events around the hero, his speech - everything is conveyed by a certain poetic meter and chosen rhythm.

The elements of any work, including a poem, include dedications, epigraphs, chapters, epilogue. Speech, just like in a story or story, is represented by dialogues, monologues and the author's speech.

Poem. Genre features

This genre of literature has been around for a long time. What is a poem? In translation - "create", "create". By genre, it is a lyrical large-scale poetic work that not only gives the reader a pleasant impression of beautiful lines, but also has a purpose and structure.

The main goal of an author starting to write a poem is to make them think about something, raise the social or philosophical problems of their time and convince the reader of some subjective thought.

The creation of any work begins with a theme. So, the poem very well reveals both the theme and the character of the protagonist. And also the work has its own elements, a special author's style and the main idea.

The elements of the poem are as follows:

• subject;
• shape;
• structure;
• and rhythm.

Indeed, since this is a poetic genre, there must be a rhythm here; but as in a story, the plot must be respected. By choosing a topic, the poet indicates what the work is about. We will consider the poem "To whom it is good in Russia" and Gogol's famous story about Chichikov and his adventures. They both have a common theme.

The poem "Who should live well in Russia?" N. Nekrasova

The writer began his work in 1863. Two years after the abolition of serfdom, and continued to work for 14 years. But he never finished his main work.

The focus is on the road, symbolizing the choice of direction in life that everyone chooses in their lives.

N. Nekrasov sought to convey authentically both the problems of the people and the best features of a simple peasant. According to the story, the dispute that started between ordinary workers dragged on, and the seven heroes went to look for at least one of those who really had a better life at that time.

The poet vividly depicted fairs,and haymaking - all these mass paintings serve as a vivid confirmation of the main idea that he wanted to convey:

The people are free, but are the people happy?

Characters in the main work of N. Nekrasov

Here is the basis of the plot of the poem "Who Lives Well…" - representatives of the people, peasant men, walk along Russian roads and explore the problems of the same ordinary people.

The poet created many interesting characters, each of which is valuable as a unique literary image, and speaks on behalf of the peasants of the 19th century. This is Grigory Dobrosklonov, and Matrena Timofeevna, which Nekrasov described with obvious gratitude to Russian women, and the image of Yermila Girin.

Dobrosklonov is the main character who wants to act as a folk teacher and educator. Yermila, on the other hand, is a different image, he protects the peasants in his own way, going completely to his side.

Nikolai Gogol, "Dead Souls"

The theme of this poem echoes Nekrasov's theme. The road is also important here. The hero in the story is looking not only for money, but also for his own path.

The main character of the work is Chichikov. He comes to a small town with his grand plans: to earn a whole million. The hero meets with the landowners, learns their life. And the author who leads the story makes fun of the stupid thoughts and absurd vices of the elite of that time.

Nikolai Gogol did a good job of conveying the social reality, the failure of the landowners as a class. And he also perfectly describes the portraits of the characters, reflecting their personal qualities.

Yet the author wanted to do more. He dreamed of describing the "resurrected heroes" in the next volumes, but, unfortunately, he himself could not see them like that. And his author's thought remained unsaid.

Foreign Classics

The most famous poems written in the dark times of Medieval Europe are Alighieri's Divine Comedy and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Through the stories described by the talented poet Geoffrey Chaucer, we can learn about English history, how different sections of society lived in this country.

After all, what is a poem - it is an epic that tells about bygone times and includes a large number of characters. D. Chaucer did an excellent job with this task. But, of course, this is an epic that is not intended for schoolchildren.

Modern perspectives on the poem

So, it is clear that initially these were only epic works. And now? What is a poem? These are modern plot constructions, interesting images and a non-trivial approach to reality. Modern poets can place the hero in a fictional world, convey his personal suffering; describe an incredibly interesting adventurous adventure.

A modern author of poems has at his disposal a great experience of previous generations and modern ideas, and a variety of techniques with which the plot is combined into a single whole. But in many cases the rhythm of the verse goes to the second, and even tothird plan as an optional element.

Conclusion

Now let's clearly define what a poem is. This is almost always a lyrical-epic voluminous work in verse. But there is also an ironically constructed story where the author ridicules the vices of a separate class, for example.

Modern poetic authors have more choice of ideas and literary "mechanisms" with which it is convenient to create a larger and more unique work.