LYRIC POETRY
Secondary Sources - Timeline Gaps
2/5/17
Throughout my research into the history of lyric poetry via both the school library, the internet, and my own poetry collection I have found some interesting aspects pertaining to the timeline of sources available.
Lyric poetry is derived from an ancient form of Greek verse, that was usually sung, and traditionally accompanied by a stringed Lyre instrument (hence Lyric, Lyre-Lyric...you get it). From there the word lost a concrete definition but became associated heavily with the use of strong rhythms, pronounced sense of meter, and an emphasis on the self in all forms of poetry. As such, the lyric poem can be found in all types of poetry from around the world. Due to the more contemporary view of the lyric as primarily a rhythm designator, it has found useful application in even very different types of poetry like an epic or a villanelle.
My research focused on the beginning naturally--the Greeks. And while there was no shortage of quality secondary research on Greek Lyric poetry, once my research timeline reached around the fall of the Roman Empire (AD mid-400s), any research into lyric poetry seemed to drop off.
This abundance of information can also be found about lyric-esque poetry from the 18th century on, due to both the caliber of poetry being produced in Western Europe in that period as well as the emergence of the Romantic movement (which borrowed if not channeled much of what constitutes a lyric).
However I am having considerable difficulty in finding sources on lyric poetry in that giant gap of time. It seems that even if lyric poetry was being produced between 470-1750, no one thought of it worthy for a scholarly investigation which strikes me as odd.
But with a little more research and reminders of my Medieval studies it wasn't odd at all. The definition of lyric had just changed in that period to mean any poem that could be put to song, damn the shape or structure.
In this sense I realized that my definition of lyric poetry was warped by certain ignorances and it might affect my presentation on the subject. But with just a little further thinking I realized that the lyric poetry of Medieval Europe only gives one limit to the spectrum like nature of the lyric. I also knew these were secondary sources so it wouldn't be foundational to the topic.
This little gap in the poetic timeline first concerned me, then bothered me, before ultimately making me widen my understanding of the lyric poem and all the historical contexts that contributed to its multifaceted form.
- Tad Malone
I think the gap in the timeline is fascinating. It seems like you're saying that the issue isn't that there wasn't lyric poetry during that time, but that the nature of what they called "lyric poetry" had become something else? Or was it that there were lyric poems being produced, but that the genre was given a different name? I'm curious if there might be research out there, but that it might be hard to find because of the definitions of words. It definitely makes you think about how flexible language is, but how that can also complicate endeavors.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered that the gap might be more related to a problem of language. I have not made a study of the subject, but it is possible that the lack of scholarship might have more to do with the lack of Western European language poetry being produced at this time. It is possible that as the West descended into the "dark" ages other flourishing cultures might have taken up the mantle of producing poetry. I would be interested to see if there wasn't lyric poetry being produced in Muslim courts of this time. However it is possible that the poetry of those places might not fall under the scope of lyric poetry. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteLike Emma, I also think that the large gap in the available research is interesting. If I'm reading your post correctly, it sounds like the definition and typical elements found in lyric poems became much more inclusive as time went on. I'm curious as to what really caused this gradual change. Did it have to do with the historical context, or was it mainly just a shift in literary style that occurred for some other reason? I think it will be interesting for you to read primary sources from different time periods to see how the genre evolved.
ReplyDeleteI would consider that the period of time you have difficulty finding information basically begins with what is considered the beginning of the Dark ages, so it is no wonder such history is lost. It is entirely possible lyric poetry lived on during that time, but under another name. Due to the religious influences during the dark ages I would consider looking into religious texts or works that might be considered 'lyric' from that time period, as that may well be where your missing link has disappeared to. Works such as the Carmina Burana, source for Carl Orff's famous (or perhaps infamous) scenic cantata, may well carry influences of lyric poetry, though I cannot be certain as I have not researched much into the subject.
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, the lyric poetry research was very interesting because it seemed much more elusive than other sub-genres of poetry. But after much research it has become apparent that the actual definition of a lyric poem is relatively simple (dealing primarily with rhythm and meter), however different historical circumstances throughout the centuries left the lyric as some what of a redundant designator. It was really only with the Era of the Enlightenment and the infatuation with Greco-Roman culture that began to synthesize the historical notion of the lyric with the mechanistic definition that exists today.
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