Eras of poetry

Ancient Poetry

The evolution of poetry began over 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia with the invention of cuneiform. These poems found on clay tablets detailed how the ancient kings would rule their people. Poetry is believed to have originated from ancient rituals and chants used for storytelling purposes when performing religious ceremonies or rites of passage such as weddings or funerals.

Poets such as Homer and Virgil were revered during ancient times. These poets would often recite their poems publicly, and they were considered entertainment for those who could afford it. 

Today, many people still use these spoken-word forms, such as in wedding ceremonies or funerals and presidential inaugurations, which typically include hymns and poetry readings by professional performers at these events.

The oldest known poem today, The Epic Of Gilgamesh was created in Mesopotamia, and it’s believed he copied them from earlier works that have been lost or never found for future generations to enjoy.

Throughout history, poetry has been analysed for deeper meaning by philosophers and authors as it was considered among many to be the highest form of literature due to its use of all eight parts of speech to convey an idea effectively.

Medieval Poetry

The Medieval Period was a time of war and a time of change in the world and its people. This is shown through poetry, new forms emerged, including rhyming couplets and ballads with refrains.

For example, one such poem is called “Beowulf” tells about a great warrior who battles monsters to save his people. This poem is written much like ancient sagas were composed , alliteration and other devices are used for effect rather than an orderly scheme.

The Renaissance Era

In the Renaissance era, poets had rediscovered many classical texts from ancient Greece and Rome which made them feel inspired again! They also wrote about love, nature and religion; however, this time, there was an emphasis on writing poetry specifically for public performance.

The Renaissance period in Western history is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of literature. The term originated from a 16th-century French scholar, Jean-Baptiste was first published in 1547.

This period began with a shift from Medieval forms to Classical styles, which can be seen most prominently in poetry. This shift marks the end of what is known as the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Early Modern Period. 

Poetry during this time became much more interested in classical themes such as mythology or nature rather than Christian themes like those found in medieval writings, which had been heavily influenced by religion. 

In addition to this new interest in Classical topics, poets also started to write in forms that were not common during the Middle Ages. For example, they began to use sonnets and other types of poems that had been popularised by Italian poets like Petrarch, who are now known as “sonnet writers”. 

Neo-Classical Poetry

The mid-17th century brought about a revival of classicism. There was now an interest in the ancient world, specifically Greece and Rome. Writers like John Dryden and Ben Jonson began to use this renewed interest as inspiration for their work.

In addition to that, poets wanted to explore writing poetry with integrity which led them back towards more traditional forms like epics, sonnets instead of experimenting with new Styles such as rhyming couplets or free verse. 

This return also meant that content became more serious once again while prose began exploring topics not seen before within literature, including politics, philosophy, and medicine.

In 1660, England saw the publication of John Dryden’s Annus Mirabilis. This poem resulted from the English Restoration and marked a crucial turning point in English literature as it shifted away from Puritanism to more secular themes. 

The Romantic Era

The Romantic poetry movement originated in the late 18th century and lasted until 1850. It was characterised by an emphasis on subjectivity, emotion, spontaneity and the natural world.The poets of this era were considered to be more accessible than those before them because they wrote about everyday life rather than lofty subjects or themes that were not relatable to most readers.

The Romantics tended to focus on feelings and emotion rather than logic or reason. One of the most famous poets from this era was William Wordsworth, who wrote about the natural world and its connection.

He shared these thoughts with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a fellow poet in Britain at that time. This led them to create what is now known as Lyrical Ballads, which emphasised sensory description and narrative over formal rules or logic.

Modern Poetry

It’s hard to believe that the Modern poetry era has only been around for about a century. After all, it is what we are living in now, and it seems like we’ve been reading this type of poetry ever since the beginning of time. But its roots are not very deep, and it just started with one man, Walt Whitman.

Walt’s works were some of the most innovative and influential poems ever written in America. This includes “Song of Myself”, which has been called one of his best long poems because it captured so much about human nature that nobody had yet expressed before him on paper, such as democratic self-love and acceptance for all types of people, genders, races and sexualities.

Walt hoped to capture this new sense of democracy through writing in free verse without meter or rhyme something more akin to prose but still poetic. He also spoke out against slavery during an age where many poets either avoided social issues entirely or wrote platitudes about them.