The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to poetry: Poetry – a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities, in addition to, or instead of, its apparent meaning.

What type of thing is poetry?

Poetry can be described as all of the following things:

Types of poetry

Common poetic forms

Periods, styles and movements

History of poetry

History of poetry – the earliest poetry is believed to have been recited or sung, such as in the form of hymns (such as the work of Sumerian priestess Enheduanna), and employed as a way of remembering oral history, genealogy, and law. Many of the poems surviving from the ancient world are recorded prayers, or stories about religious subject matter, but they also include historical accounts, instructions for everyday activities, love songs, and fiction.

Elements of poetry

Methods of creating rhythm

Scanning meter

The number of metrical feet in a line are described in Greek terminology as follows:

Common metrical patterns

Rhyme, alliteration and assonance

Rhyming schemes

Stanzas and verse paragraphs

Poetic diction

Poetics

Some famous poets and their poems