What is a poem? This is a work that is at the junction of two literary "worlds" - poetry and prose. Like a prose, the poem has a logic of narration, a real story with denouement and epilogue. And as poetry - conveys the depth of the subjective experiences of the hero. Many of the classic pieces that everyone went to school were written in this genre.
Recall the poem "Dead Souls" by the pen of the Ukrainian classic - N.V. Gogol. Here, a wonderful large-scale plan echoes the ability to find depth in a person.
Recall the poetry of the genius A. Pushkin - "Ruslan and Lyudmila." But besides them, there are many more interesting works.
The history of the development of the genre
The poem has grown from the very first folk songs through which each people transmitted historical events and myths to their children. This is the well-known "Iliad" and "Odyssey", and "Song of Roland" - the French epic. In Russian culture, the ancestor of all poems was the historical song - "The Word 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 plots appeared. New authors made up their own stories. Then new types appeared: burlesque poem, Iroicomic; the life and affirmation of the people ceased to be the main theme of the works.
So the genre developed, it became deeper and more complex. Gradually formed elements of the composition. And now this trend in art is already a whole science.
The structure of the work of art
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 the tests. His thoughts, as well as feelings, are the focus of the narrator's attention. And all the events around the hero, his speech - everything is conveyed by a certain poetic size and chosen rhythm.
Elements of any work, including a poem, include initiations, epigraphs, chapters, epilogue. Speech, as in a story or story, is represented by dialogues, monologues and author's speech.
Poem. Features of the genre
This genre of literature has existed for a long time. What is a poem? Translated - "I create," "create." By genre - a lyrical large-scale poetic work, which not only gives the reader a pleasant impression of beautiful lines, but also has a purpose and structure.
The main goal of the author, who begins to write a poem, is to make him think about something, raise the social or philosophical problems of his time and convince the reader of some kind of 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.
Elements of the poem are as follows:
- topic;
- the form;
- structure;
- and rhythm.
Indeed, since this is a poetic genre, a rhythm must be present here; but as in the story, the plot must be respected. Choosing a theme, the poet indicates what the work is about. We will consider the poem "To whom it is good in Russia" and the famous story of Gogol about Chichikov and his adventures. They both have a common theme.
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 did not finish his main work.
The focus is on the road, symbolizing the choice of direction in life, which everyone chooses in his life.
N. Nekrasov tried to reliably convey the problems of the people and the best features of a simple peasant. In the story, the dispute that arose between ordinary workers dragged on, and seven heroes went to look for at least one of those who really had better life at that time.
The poet vividly depicted both fairs and haymaking - all these mass paintings serve as a vivid confirmation of the main idea that he wanted to convey:
The people are liberated, but is the people happy?
Characters in the main work of N. Nekrasov
This is the basis of the plot of the poem "To live well ..." - representatives of the people, peasant peasants walk along Russian roads and explore the problems of ordinary people like that.
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, who was described by Nekrasov with obvious gratitude to Russian women, and the image of Yermil Girin.
Dobrosklonov is the main character who wants to act as a national teacher and enlightener. Yermila, on the other hand, is a different image; he protects the peasants in his own way, passing completely to his side.
Nikolay Gogol, "Dead Souls"
The theme of this poem echoes the Nekrasov theme. The road is also important here. The hero in the story is looking for not only money, but also his own way.
The main character of the work is Chichikov. He comes to a small town with his great plans: to earn a million. The hero meets with the landowners, finds out their life. And the author who leads the story ridicules the stupid thoughts and absurd vices of the elite of that time.
Nikolai Gogol managed to convey well the social reality, the failure of the landowners as a class. And he also describes portraits of heroes that reflect their personal qualities.
Still, the author wanted to do more. He dreamed of describing “resurrected heroes” in the following volumes, but, unfortunately, he could not see them like that. And his author’s thought remained unsaid.
Foreign classical works
The most famous poems written in the dark times of Medieval Europe are Aligieri's Divine Comedy and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Through the stories described by the talented poet Jeffrey Chaucer, we can learn about English history, how different sections of society lived in this country.
After all, what is a poem - this is an epic telling about bygone times and including a large number of characters. D. Chaucer did an excellent job. But, of course, this is an epic that is not intended for students.
Modern views 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 fantasy world, convey his personal suffering; Describe incredibly interesting adventurous adventures.
At the disposal of the modern author of poems is the vast experience of previous generations and modern ideas, and a variety of techniques by which the plot is combined into a single whole. But in many cases, the rhythm of the verse goes into the background, or even into the third plan, as an optional element.
Conclusion
Now we clearly indicate what a poem is. This is almost always a lyric-epic voluminous work in verse. But there is an ironically constructed story where the author makes fun of the vices of a particular class, for example.
Modern authors and poets have more choices of ideas and literary "mechanisms" with which it is convenient to create a larger and more unique work.