What is metaphysical poetry? Metaphysical poetry , a term coined by Samuel Johnson, has its roots in 17th-century England. This type of poetry is witty, ingenious, and highly philosophical. It topics included love, life and existence. It used literary elements of similes, metaphors, imagery, paradoxes, conceit, and far-fetched views of reality. John Donne is regarded as the “leading poet” of this highly intellectual form of poetry. Donne was influenced by the belief that the precision of beauty in the adored (loved one) behaved as a commemoration of ideal beauty in the everlasting kingdom (heaven). He also used unconventional and colloquial rhythm and tone, which was highly contrary to the Elizabethan poetry style. AGAIN First we should pay our attention the word 'Metaphysical'. It is made of 2 words 'meta' - beyond and 'physical' - our sorroundings means such artificial world. Thus the combine sense in association with poetry is - The Poetry that is having a particular sense that is beyond this artificial world. It means Heavenly / Spritual / Intllectual thought. Posted by Santanu Halder at 9:59 AM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Sunday, February 19, 2012 LITERARY TERMS LITERARY TERMS Definition of Elegy An elegy is a poetic lament for the dead. Its tone is mournful and formal. The form began in ancient Greece where it followed rules of content: the first section expressed grief, the second praised the dead, and the last offered consolation. The form continues to be used in modern times. Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" as an elegy for Abraham Lincoln, and Celan memorialized Holocaust victims in "Fugue of Death." Modern elegies are more likely to expand meaning beyond the death of a particular individual to a more universal cause for grieving. Definition of Lyric Poem In ancient Greece, lyric poetry was sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument called a lyre, and its subject matter embraced thoughts and sentiment, rather than heroic deeds or other classical subjects. Housman's "Loveliest of Trees" provides an example of the personal insight associated with lyric poetry: "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now/Is hung with bloom along the bough/And stands about the woodland ride/Wearing white for Eastertide./ Now, of my threescore years and ten,/Twenty will not come again,/And take from seventy springs a score,/It only leaves me fifty more./And since to look at things in bloom/Fifty springs are little room,/About the woodlands I will go/To see the cherry hung with snow." Definition of Conceit A conceit is an intricate extended metaphor, which compares two extremely incongruous ideas and arrives at a surprisingly apt parallel. Most often found in 17th century literature, one of the most famous conceits is seen in Donne's "The Flea," in which he argues that because a flea has bitten both the lady and her lover, their blood is already mixed and intimacy has been achieved. He prevents her from killing the flea, saying: "Oh stay! three lives in one flea spare/Where we almost, yea more than married are./This flea is you and I, and this/Our marriage-bed and marriage-temple is." Conceits often employ hyperbole and paradox. Definition of Ode An ode is a long lyric poem, usually written in stanzas and formal in tone. Originally intended to be chanted to musical accompaniment, the ode is often written in an intricate meter. Most odes are meditations on various themes, such as Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind," Gray's "The Bard," and Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn." While often studied, the ode has not been a popular form since the early 19th century. Definition of Couplet A couplet is two lines of poetry that generally rhyme, have the same rhythm, and are usually about the same length. Rhymed couplets written in iambic pentameter are called heroic couplets. Entire poems can be made up of a series of couplets ("A Visit from St. Nicholas"), couplets may help comprise part of a poetic form (for example, Shakespearean sonnets always end with a couplet), or a couplet might stand by itself as a complete poem. Poetic epigrams are also considered to be couplets. Although couplets are most often associated with English and French verse, they are also popular in Chinese and Tamil poetry. Definition of Sonnet Deriving from the Italian word for "little song," the sonnet arose as a form in the 13th century and gained in popularity throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance. A sonnet has fourteen lines, a strict rhyme scheme, and, in English, is written in iambic pentameter. The English or Shakespearean Sonnet has a rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g- g, where the first 12 lines comprise 3 quatrains and the last 2 lines form a couplet. Although Italian in origin, the Petrarchan Sonnet is also popular in English. The rhyme scheme is most often a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a, c-d-c-d-c-d, forming an octave and sestet. The topic of the sonnet is traditionally contrasting ideas, emotions, beliefs, actions, Posted by Santanu Halder at 10:04 AM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Thursday, February 16, 2012 Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy. From the Poetics Aristotle’s Ideas About Tragedy Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece. A philosopher loo ks for ideal form s, and tries toexplain the nature of reality. The search for ideal forms led Aristotle to explore many subjects. His analysis of the ideal form of tragic plays became a guideline for later playwrights in Western civilization. For centuries, European playwrights like William Shakespeare tried to write plays that would match the ideals of Aristotle’s model.Drama was not invented by Aristotle. In fact, he used examples from the works of famous Greek playwrights such as Sophocles to illustrate his main ideas. The Greeks believed that tragedy was the highest form of drama, and Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy we re based on this belief. Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy. “A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious an d also, a s having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language;...in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear,wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” 1. “the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself;” This means that a good tragedy deals with one issue that is very “serious.” You can’t have a tragedy about something trivial like breaking a fingernail. “Magnitude” here means great importance. The issue has to be serious and very, very important. That’s why a lot of tragedies deal with someone’s death. “Complete in itself” means that the play must stick to the one issue; otherwise, the audience will get lost in the p lot. 2. “in appropriate and pleasurable language:” Ancient Greek tragedy had a chorus whose role was to comment on the action of the play. The chorus sometimes sang their part. Aristotle said that the language should be easy to listen to. It should have rhythm and also good harmony for th e lines th at were sung. 3. “in a dramatic rather than narrative form;” To narrate a story is simply to tell the story, like telling a friend wh at happened over the w eekend. In a play, the story must be dra matized or a cted out. 4. “with incidents arousing pity and fear,” In a tragedy, the events or episodes in the play should lead the audience to feel very sorry for the main character--the tragic hero. The audience should also feel afraid for the he ro as he moves toward a destructive end. 5. “wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” As the play moves along, the events should build up the emotions of pity and fear. A catharsis is a purging, or cleansing of th e emotions --a release o f tension. In a trage dy, this is often a moment o f revelation w hen the tragic hero “falls flat on his face,” and the audience can finally “explode.” Aristotle’s Elements of Tragedy Aristotle said that tragedy has six main eleme nts: 1. Plot; 2. Character; 3. Thought; 4. Diction; 5. Melody; 6. Spectacle. These will be described from least important to most important. The last four elements (Thought, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle) are the least important, but Aristotle felt they must be done well for the play to succeed. Thought is the power of saying w hatever can be sa id and should be said at each moment of the plot. Do the lines spoken by the actors make sense? Are they saying what should be s aid at each particular moment in the play? Diction is the actual composition of the lines that are recited. Thought deals with what is said, and d iction deals w ith how it is said. There are many ways to say something. A good playwright composes lines that say something extremely well. In a good play, some lines are so well constructed that the audience can leave the play quoting the lines exactly. Melody and Spectacle are accesso ries. The G reeks sometime s used mus ical accomp animent. Aris totle said the m usic (melody) h as to blend in with the p lay approp riately. Spectac le refers to the staging of the play . Again, as with melody, the spectacle should be appropriate to the theme of the play.