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Narrative : Telling stories through verse By ThoughtCo.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.12.20 Word Count 848

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Narrative poetry tells stories through verse. Like a or a , a narrative poem has plot, characters and setting. It creates a mood using poetic devices such as rhyme and meter. Narrative poems often include action and dialogue.

Many narrative poems have only one speaker. This speaking voice is called the narrator. For example, 's "" is narrated by a grieving man. He describes his mysterious meeting with the raven.

Origins Of Narrative Poetry

The earliest poetry was not written. Instead, it was spoken, recited, chanted or sung. Poetic devices such as rhythm, rhyme and repetition made stories easier to memorize. This allowed people to hand the poems down through generations. Narrative poetry came from this spoken tradition.

Narrative poetry inspired many other literary forms. For example, the narrative poems "The " and "The " from ancient Greece have influenced artists and writers for more than 2,000

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. years.

Another example is "Beowulf." It was written in medieval and has inspired modern-day books, movies, operas and computer games.

Another example is the Indian "Mahabharata" — the world's longest poem. It has more than 100,000 couplets.

Identifying Narrative Poetry

Narrative is one of three major categories of poetry. The other two are dramatic and lyric. Each type of poetry has its own characteristics. While lyric poems emphasize expressing yourself, narrative poems emphasize plot storytelling. Dramatic poetry, like some plays, is an extended stage production. It usually includes many different speakers.

However, there aren't always clear differences. Poets weave lyrical language into narrative poems. Similarly, a narrative poem might resemble dramatic poetry with many voices.

The defining feature of narrative poetry is storytelling. The narrator moves through a series of events. There is a challenge, conflict and a final resolution.

Types Of Narrative Poems

Most ancient and medieval narrative poems were long poems called "epics."

Narrative poetry is constantly changing. There are countless other ways to tell stories through verse. The following are examples of narrative poetry.

""

The first example is from "The Song of Hiawatha." It was written by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

On the Mountains of the Prairie, On the great Red Pipestone Quarry, Gitche Manito, the mighty, He the Master of Life, descending, On the red crags of the quarry Stood erect, and called the nations, Called the tribes of men together.

"The Song of Hiawatha" recounts Native American legends. It is influenced by the Finnish national epic, "The ." In turn, "The Kalevala" echoes "The Iliad," "" and the "Nibelungenlied."

" Of The King"

The second example comes from "." It is by British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

I fain would follow love, if that could be; I needs must follow death, who calls for me; Call and I follow, I follow! let me die.

An is a narrative form of poetry that began in ancient Greece. An idyll paints a picture of everyday life. By turning it into poetry, an idyll gives everyday life more importance. This idyll is a based on British legends. It tells the story of , his knights and his queen.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. The Of The Harp-Weaver

The third example comes from "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver." It is by American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.

"Son," said my mother, When I was knee-high, "You've need of clothes to cover you, And not a rag have I.

"There's nothing in the house To make a boy breeches, Nor shears to cut a cloth with Nor thread to take stitches."

"The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver" tells the story of a mother's love for her child. In the end, she dies while weaving clothes for the child.

Millay cast the story as a ballad. The form comes from traditional .

"Autobiography Of Red"

The last example comes from "Autobiography of Red." This is a poem by Canadian poet and translator Anne Carson. It belongs to the category of the .

…Small, red, and upright he waited, gripping his new bookbag tight in one hand and touching a lucky penny inside his coat pocket with the other, while the first snows of winter floated down on his eyelashes and covered the branches around him and silenced all trace of the world.

"Autobiography of Red" is based on an ancient Greek . The book is about a hero's battle with a red-winged monster. Carson recreated the monster as a boy. He battles modern-day problems.

Carson's book-length work belongs to a genre-jumping category known as the "verse novel." It shifts between description and dialogue. It also changes from poetry to as the story moves along. Prose is language in its regular form. It does not contain rhythm or rhyme.

Long narrative poetry is known for its vivid language and simple stories. It has become popular in young adult publishing. Jacqueline Woodson won the National Book Award for "Brown Girl Dreaming." The book describes her childhood as an African American growing up in the American South.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 What is the relationship between narrative poetry and early spoken poetry?

(A) Narrative poetry doesn’t have the musicality of spoken poetry.

(B) Narrative poetry developed from the tradition of spoken poetry.

(C) Narrative poetry inspired much of the ancient spoken poetry.

(D) Narrative poetry is meant to be read silently rather than spoken.

2 According to the section "Identifying Narrative Poetry," how do narrative poems differ from other types of poetry?

(A) They focus on self-expression.

(B) They focus on telling a story.

(C) They include stage directions.

(D) They include many speakers.

3 This article is mostly organized using lists of examples. Why do you think the author chose to organize the information this way?

(A) to compare narrative poetry to dramatic poetry

(B) to illustrate that narrative poetry is very similar

(C) to illustrate the difference between lyric and narrative poetry

(D) to show the different ways that narrative poetry has been written

4 How is the structure of the section “The Song Of Hiawatha” similar to the structure of the section “Idylls Of The King”?

(A) Both describe the influence of narrative poetry on the poet’s country.

(B) Both explain the causes of narrative poetry’s popularity in the 1800s.

(C) Both list the most lyrical and dramatic lines in the narrative poem.

(D) Both provide a passage from a narrative poem and tell what inspired it.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.