Major 5

Name : Dangar Arpisha H.

Paper : Major 5 

Class : S.Y.B.A. ( English )

College:Maharani Shree Nandkunvarba Mahila Arts and Commerce College.

 Class Assignment 

Check out this SlideShare :

Poetry as an interpretation of life.

Home Assignment 

Classification of poetry 

Introduction

William Henry Hudson, in his book An Introduction to the Study of Literature (1899), explained that poetry is a universal art which cannot be confined to a single definition. To study it more clearly, he classified poetry on the basis of subject-matter, form, and purpose. His classification helps us understand the wide range of poetic expression – from the personal emotions of a lyric to the grandeur of an epic, from moral teachings to satire.

Types of Poetry According to Hudson

1. Subjective or Lyric Poetry

Definition: Expresses the poet’s personal emotions, moods, and inner feelings.

Nature: Emotional, musical, and reflective.

Examples:

Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey

Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind

Keats’s Ode to a Nightingale

2. Objective or Narrative Poetry

Definition: Presents an external story or event with characters and actions.

Nature: Poet stands in the background; focus is on narration.

Forms:

Epic Poetry – long heroic narratives (Homer’s Iliad, Milton’s Paradise Lost)

Ballads – shorter, folk or song-like narratives.

3. Dramatic Poetry

Definition: Poetry written for dialogue and performance.

Nature: Mixture of action and emotion; combines subjective and objective qualities.

Examples:

Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

4. Didactic Poetry

Definition: Poetry intended to teach, guide, or moralize.

Nature: Intellectual, instructive, often philosophical.

Examples:

Pope’s Essay on Man

Lucretius’s De Rerum Natural 

5. Satirical Poetry

Definition: Poetry that uses wit, irony, or ridicule to expose human weaknesses or social evils.

Nature: Humorous yet critical.

Examples:

Pope’s The Rape of the Lock

Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel

6. Allegorical / Symbolic Poetry

Definition: Poetry that conveys a hidden moral, spiritual, or political meaning through allegory and symbols.

Nature: Suggestive, layered with deeper significance.

Examples:

Spenser’s The Faerie Queene

Dante’s Divine Comedy

Conclusion

Hudson’s classification shows the diverse functions of poetry—it can be a song of emotions, a narrative of heroes, a stage performance, a lesson in philosophy, a social criticism, or a symbolic journey. This classification makes it easier to understand poetry 

not as one rigid form but as a multi-dimensional art.

Essay

Hudson on the Novel

Introduction

According to Hudson, the novel is the most popular modern form of literature. It is essentially a prose narrative of considerable length that presents human life and character through a connected story. Unlike poetry, the novel is closer to real life because it reflects social manners, emotions, and relationships in detail.

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Classification of Novel according to Hudson

1. Realistic Novel

Presents real life, characters, and events truthfully.

Example: George Eliot’s Adam Bede, Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield.

2. Historical Novel

Recreates past events, figures, and periods with imagination.

Example: Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.

3. Romantic Novel

Centers on adventure, imagination, and extraordinary events rather than reality.

Example: Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

4. Psychological Novel

Focuses on the inner world of characters, motives, and mental states.

Example: Henry James’ The Portrait of a Lady, Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

5. Social Novel

Reflects society, social institutions, and problems.

Example: Dickens’ Hard Times, Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton.

6. Autobiographical / Personal Novel

Based on the author’s own life e

xperiences.

Example: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.

Hudson on Drama

Introduction

Hudson defines drama as “literature designed to be performed.” It represents life through action and dialogue. Unlike the novel (which is read) or poetry (which is often recited), drama is meant to be seen and heard on stage, combining story, characters, and performance.

Classification of Drama according to Hudson

1. Tragedy

Presents the fall of a great or noble character due to fate or a tragic flaw.

Example: Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.

2. Comedy

Represents humorous situations, wit, and happy endings.

Example: Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Sheridan’s The Rivals.

3. Tragicomedy

Blends elements of tragedy and comedy.

Example: Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

4. Romantic Drama

Focuses on adventure, imagination, and emotion, often less strict in structure.

Example: Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

5. Problem Play / Social Drama

Deals with serious social issues and moral questions.

Example: Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Shaw’s Arms and the Man.

6. Farce

Light-hearted drama with exaggerated humor and absurd situations.

Example: Plautus’ plays, Molière’s comedies.

Conclusion

Hudson sees the novel as the modern prose form that reflects real life in detail, and drama as the stage art that shows life in action. Both, like poetry, explore human experience but in different modes: the novel through narration, drama through performance.

Reference 

Hudson, W. H. (1899). An introduction to the study of literature. London: George G. Harrap & Co.