COURSE / SUBJECT: CREATIVE WRITING – NON FICTION

STRAND: HUMSS (First Semester)

SCHEDULE: MWF 9:50 AM – 11:10 AM
VIRTUAL CLASSROOM: WEDNESDAY 2:00 PM -2:30 PM
INSTRUCTOR: PENNY G. TIANGCO

LESSON 2. INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY GENRES: POETRY

A. What is Genre?
 A genre is a particular type of literature, painting, music, film, or other art form which people
consider as a class because it has special characteristics.
 It is a broad term that translates from the French to mean 'kind' or 'type.' In entertainment, this can
translate to horror, romance, science fiction, etc. In general, these types differ for all sorts of reasons,
from the actions in their plots to the feelings they elicit from the audience. However, in literature,
there are some more defined genres. It is important to know which genre a piece of work falls into
because the reader will already have certain expectations before he even begins to read.
 Genre, in broad terms, refers to any works that share certain characteristics. If enough characteristics
are in common, then the pieces are said to be in the same genre. In literature, there are four main
genres to help the reader focus their expectations for the piece, though these genres can be broken
down even further.

B. Literary Genres
 A category of literary composition determined by literary techniques, tone, content, or even (as
in the case of fiction) length. The distinction between genres and categories are flexible and loosely
defined, often with subgroups. The most general genres in literature are (in loose chronological
order) epic, tragedy, comedy, creative nonfiction. They can all be in the form of prose and poetry.

C. Poetry
 A main literary genre is poetry. All poems share specific characteristics. For example, poetry is
written in lines and stanzas instead of sentences and paragraphs. Some poems follow strict rules as to
the number and length of lines and stanzas, whereas many poems are much more free-flowing.
 Most poetry is abundant in figurative language. Using devices like a simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
onomatopoeia, alliteration, rhyme, and much more, poetry can claim an emphasis on imagination,
emotions, and heartfelt ideas.
 Poetry is usually shorter than the other genres, but some poems are classified as  epic poetry,
which is long narrative poetry chronicling heroic deeds and serious subject matter. For example, John
Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost focuses on Satan's fall from grace and his following pursuit of
revenge.

D. Literary Conventions
 Defining features of a particular genre such as a novel, a short story, or a play.
E. Five Major Genres
 Fiction
 Non Fiction
 Drama (Plays)
 Folktale
 Poetry

F. Kinds of Poetry: What are the different genres of poetry?

 Poetry has a long history. The earliest forms of poetry were recited and sung. With the passing
years, it obtained a structured form that later evolved into a free verse format. Poets dealing with
different subjects and presenting their ideas in different ways, gave rise to various kinds of poetry.

G. Kinds of Poetry
• Acrostic: In acrostic poems, the first letters of each line of the poem are aligned vertically to form a word.
Generally, the word formed thus, is the subject of the poem.
• Ballad: Ballads are narrative poems that are supposed to be sung. The narrator usually starts with a
dramatic scene and relates the narrative with dialog and actions.
• Canzone: The word canzone, which means, a song, signifies my simple-song like composition. It is an
Italian song or ballad.
• Cinquain: Cinquain poems are five lines long. They do not rhyme.
• Concrete: In this kind of poetry, the topographical arrangement of words supports the meaning conveyed
by the poem. The poems form a picture of the topic on which they are centered.
• Couplet: It is very simple form of a verse, which contains two rhyming lines.
• Diamante: This type of poetry is one of the simplest ones to write. The first line of a diamante is a single
word; the second line consists of two adjectives describing that word, third line contains three words
about the subject while the fourth line contains four. The fifth line and the lines that follow consist of
small pattern of words describing the idea opposite to the subject of the poem. It seems this kind of
poetry writing is simple and interesting. Doesn’t it?
• Dramatic Poetry: A drama that is written in the form of verses to be recited or sung refers to the dramatic
genre of poetry. This form of poetry has evolved from Greek and Sanskrit Literature.
• Free Verse: Free verses refer to the different styles of poetry, wherein the poems do not carry a specific
meter. Free verses are poet’s expressions, which are free from any rules or restrictions pertaining to the
rhyme schemes of the poem.
• Ghazal: This form of poetry is popular in the Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Bengali Literature. It is
characterized by five to fifteen couplet of a ghazal can stand individually as each represents a distinct
thought.
• Pastourelle: It refers to an old French lyrical form. The poems in this category have the romance of a
shepherdess as their central idea.
• Prose Poetry: This genre of poetry blends prose and poetry. It is very similar to a short story. However, its
concise nature and the use of metaphor in it are sufficient to classify it as a poetical form.
• Ruba’I: This form of poetry is written as a four-line verse. It is written by the poets in Arabia and Persia.
• Satirical poetry: Sarcasm serves as a very powerful means of expressing criticism. An insult can most
strongly be expressed through poetry. Romans have been using satirical poetry for political purposes.
• Sestina: In this kind of poetry, there are six stanzas, each consisting of six lines without an element of
rhyme. The words that appear at the end of the lines in the first stanza repeated in other stanzas. A
concluding stanza of three lines wherein the repeating words reappear in a peculiar way is an important
characteristic of Sestina.
• Sijo: It is a musical lyric popular among the Korean Poets. It is written in three lines with a pause in the
middle of every line.
 • Sonnet: Derived from Occitan and Italian words meaning a little song, Sonnet was originally a foruteen-
line song that was based on a strict rhyme scheme and structure. Shakespeare, who wrote 154 sonnets,
was one of the most important figures in the field of Sonnet.
• Stev: It is a lyrical Poetry that is prominent in Scandivia. Stave is the English version of this kind of poetry.
• Tanka: It is an unrhymed kind of poetry that originated in Japan. It came up as a shorter version of the
Japaneses formal poetry and the poems of this type were primarily based on personal themes. The
emergence of Tanka dates back to the Nara period. It became popular in the 13 th century and is continues
being practiced till today.
• Verse Fable: The poems that belongs to this genre of poetry consists of stories to set into verses. Fables
involving natural elements and inanimate objects carrying a moral or message for the masses are
expressed through verses. Verse fables used different.
• Haiku: It is unrhymed form of poetry that is native to Japan. It contains three sections that can be written
in a single line, but are written in three lines instead. The way it is broken into, is in essence the poetic
effect of this kind of poetic form. This kind of poetry contains a cutting word, which is known as kireji and
a season word known as a kigo.
• Jintishi: Native to China, Jintishi is a poetic form based on tonal patterns consisting of the four tones of
the classical Chinese language in every couplet. Jintishi is composed of eight lines in four couplets,
wherein two couplets depict contrasting ideas but similar grammatical patterns. Du Fu, a poet of the 8 th
century was an important name in the world of Jintishi.
• Limerick: Limerick is one of the very popular kinds of poetry. A limerick is a funny little poem with a rhyme
scheme ‘aabba’.
• Lyric Poetry: Lyric Poetry is of a personal nature, wherein poet expresses hi/her perceptions and ideas
through poetry. Lyric Poems deal with subjects like love, peace, loss and grief. T.S. Eliot is one of the
prominent names in the lyric poetry.
• Narrative Poetry: This is a genre of poetry that involves story-telling and is one of the very old forms of
poetry. The content of these types of poems is intended to appeal the masses. Ovid, William Langland,
Alexander Pope and Shakespeare are some of the notable figures in the field of narrative poetry.
• Nursery Rhymes: It is one of the most popular types of poetry, especially a favorite of most of the kids.
Nursery rhymes are short poems written for children and are usually handed over from one generation to
another.
• Ode: Originally developed by the Greek and Latin poets, Odes soon began to appear in different culture
across the world. Odes possess a formal diction and deal with a variety of different subjects.
• Pantoum: It is composed of quatrains, where the second and fourth lines of each verse are repeated as
the first and third lines of the next stanza.

H. Sub Genres

FICTION NONFICTION DRAMA FOLKTALE POETRY

Mystery Biography Play Fable ABC Poem

Realistic Autobiography Skits Myth Haiku

Fiction
Historical Informational Musicals Fairy Tale Triangle
Fiction
Fantasy Reference Tragedy Legend Sonnet

Science Essay Comedy Tall Tale Free Verse

Fiction