He lyric Has very defined characteristics such as the metric system, its relationship with philosophy and the complexity of its thinking and emotions.
Also known simply as lyric, it is a literary genre present in the imaginary and the arts of man from Ancient Greece.
His most clear and popular form of expression is poetry, mainly in verse. The lyric consists mainly in the expression and exposure of subjective positions and emotional samples through the harmonious use of oral and written language.
Lyrical poetry was born from a previous version known as the Greek lyric, which consisted of reciting verses accompanied musically by a lyre.
Lyric continued its life over the years as a form of expression studied by philosophers, because it was considered to have a genuine character in its contents, closely related to human feeling.
Poetry, as the main lyric expression, has been one of the literary genres that has most adapted to changes over the years, but has never been weakened.
Although modern poetry, mostly composed in prose, might not rescue the main visceral and sentimental elements that characterized lyric, it is undeniable that this is maintained as a fundamental basis.
Main characteristics of the lyrical genre
1- The lyric is subject to its author
Because it expresses intense and deep feelings and reflections, each lyrical product is closely tied to the author and his subjectivity.
This generates a variety of perspectives on the same emotion, giving a unique character to the poetry, where beyond generic styles, each one approaches the subjects that considers more susceptible.
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2- It is not narrative
Traditional lyric poetry is not focused on developing a story through its verses, but in elaborating on emotions and feelings in the face of certain situations.
This creates a close connection between author and reader, being considered as a moment of confidentiality and intimacy.
Although he does not develop a series of successive actions, it can be considered an autobiographical narrative, tied to the author's pen and gaze.
Poetry applies the same human principles that dictate that every literary or artistic product, regardless of its genre, is but the reflection of its own author.
3- Difficulty
The lyrical genre is not easy to read and understand. You must be accustomed to this literary style and its evolution over the years.
Even today, poetry is dismissed because of its literary and comprehensive complexity. Although it may seem, prose poetry does not necessarily facilitate reflection on what is read.
Despite its complexity, lyric poetry does not consist only of language ornaments, but rather seeks expressive simplicity from the appropriate words.
4- Linkage and conflict with philosophy
The first to reflect on the importance of lyric and its impact on human well-being were the Greek philosophers Like Plato, who banished her, along with her practitioners, from the Republic.
The main argument was that the lyric product was the imitation of imitation, and therefore was far more removed from what it considered the Truth.
Due to her incessant search for manifesting in the most clear and authentic way the human tribulations, the lyric was seen walking alongside the Philosophical reflections Which have emerged throughout human history.
It has been considered that the lyric does not fulfill a strictly mimetic function of human emotions, but that of developing a form of language that allows to approach much more to the intangible reactions and experiences.
5- Metric system
It is the system by which not only lyric poetry, but other variants in verse or prose. The metric system is the rhythmic structure by which the lines in a verse, the verses and the poem are governed in their entirety, according to the syllabic intonation and length of the first ones.
Metric feet vary according to the language in which poetry is presented. In the case of lyric poetry in Spanish you can find the following feet:
- Iamb
- Replacement (exchange rate)
- Anapaest
- Dactyl
Other ways of measuring poetry in Spanish are based on the number of syllables in each verse, distributed as follows:
- Septenary, is a line with seven poetic syllables.
- Octosyllable, is a line with eight poetic syllables. It is one of the most common in poetry considered romance.
- Endecasílabo, is a line with eleven poetic syllables.
- Alexandrian, is a line with fourteen poetic syllables, sometimes separated into two portions of seven syllables each.
6- Adoption of other genres
Literature over the centuries has developed certain symbioses between genders And forms, and lyric has not been the exception.
In modern lyric we can find the use of resources and literary figures of genres such as narrative, and vice versa.
This adaptation between discourses allows flexibility in the rigidity attributed in the past to each genre or form of expression.
7- From emotion to complexity of thought
The evolution, mainly European, of poetry and lyric genre in general, was for a long time located in the center of the emotions and the melodious language, destining to a cultured and minority audience, that boasted with feeling the same joys and misfortunes Than the poets.
However, there were many new authors who, during the twentieth century, began to despise and reject the old postulates that the lyric presented until now, seeking to renew it without modifying it from the base.
They sought to alternate the musicality of language by a cold reflection of the emotions or situations they sought to evoke, without neglecting the verse or the system that continues to maintain lyric integrity.
After World War II, and especially in North America, lyrical poetry began to focus on the themes of domestic life and relationships, leaving a little aside those idealistic and extremely romantic odes that characterized the lyrics for many years.
References
- Adorno, T. W. (1962). Discourse on lyric and society. In T. W. Adorno, Literature notes. Ariel.
- Blasing, M.K. (2006). Lyric Poetry: The Pain and the Pleasure of Words. Princeton University Press.
- Harvey, A.E. (1955). The Classification of Greek Lyric Poetry. The Classical Quarterly, 157-175.
- Mayo, B. (1974). Introduction to Adorno's"Lyric Poetry and Society". Telos, 52-55.
- Mignolo, W. D. (1979). The figure of the poet in the avant-garde lyric. 131-148.