lyric is the quality of something sentimental, which stands out for its excessive sentimentality.
This adjective is usually used to refer to the literary genre composed by the use of singing and music, where the author of the work uses the "lyrical me" to expose intense emotions and feelings in the text.
In literature, the lyric genre it basically consists of poetry (text in verse), formed by four main aspects: the lyrical self, subjectivity, lyricism (sentimentality) and musicality.
Find out more about the meaning of Poetry and Poem.
Lyric poetry
It is a genre of poetry that emerged in Ancient Greece, recited in the form of singing and usually accompanied by the sound of some musical instrument, such as the flute or the lyre. In fact, the name "lyric” (from the Latin lyricu) originated from the latter.
Currently, the genre of lyrical poetry is not directly related to music, as in the past, but through the so-called "poetic syllables", kept the musicality of the verses through a series of resources, such as the alliterations, words and rhymes, for example.
Look what are rhymes.
Another particular feature of lyrical poetry is the presence of the so-called "lyrical self", a "voice" existing in the work which takes on the role of expressing the author's deepest emotions, thoughts and feelings, in a fully subjective.
There are several types of lyrical texts, according to the way they are structured and the themes that are covered, such as:
- Sonnet: formed by 14 verses (4 stanzas), of which 2 are quartets (a stanza consisting of 4 verses) and 2 triplets (a stanza formed by 3 verses).
- Elegy: poems whose theme is death, unrequited love and other feelings that refer to sadness. From the Greek, the word elegy means “sad corner”.
- Eclogue: poetry that portrays the bucolic life in the countryside, predominantly composed of dialogues.
- Ode: poem of exaltation, usually exalting some characters, for example.
Learn more about the meaning of Ode.
- Idyll: similar to the eclogue, as it also talks about country life, but with the absence of dialogue.
- Anthem: similar to the ode, as it also has the function of exalting and glorifying, but in this case referring to the deities and the homeland.
Lyric Poetry and Epic Poetry
As stated, lyrical poetry is characterized by the presence of a “lyrical self” in the text, presenting the narration of an intense feeling, such as love, for example.
Already epic poetry (or epic) is the telling of remarkable stories about a nation, civilization, society or community, usually highlighting the figure of a hero as the main character of the work.
See also: the meaning of Literature.