Elegy
Definition of Elegy
Elegy&is&a&form&of&literature&which&can&be&defined&as&a&poem&or&song&in&the&form&of&
elegiac&couplets,&written&in&honor&of&someone&deceased.&It&typically&laments&or&
mourns&the&death&of&the&individual.&&
Elegy&is&derived&from&the&Greek&work&“elegus”,&which&means&a&song&of&bereavement&
sung&along&with&a&flute.&The&forms&of&elegies&we&see&today&were&introduced&in&the&
16th¢ury.&“Elegy&Written&in&a&Country&Churchyard”&by&Thomas&Gray&and&“When&
Lilacs&Last&in&the&Dooryard&Bloom’d”&by&Walt&Whitman&are&the&two&most&popular&
examples&of&elegy.&
Features of Elegy
• Usually,&elegies&are&identified&by&several&characteristics&of&genre:&&
• Just&like&a&classical&epic,&an&elegy&typically&starts&with&the&invocation&of&the&
muse&and&then&proceeds&by&referencing&to&the&traditional&mythology.&&
• It&often&involves&a&poet&who&knows&how&to&phrase&the&thoughts&imaginatively&
in&the&first&person.&&
• Questions&are&raised&by&the&poet&about&destiny,&justice&and&fate.&&
• The&poet&associates&the&events&of&the&deceased&with&events&in&his&own&life&by&
drawing&a&subtle&comparison.&&
• This&kind&of&digression&gives&the&poet&space&to&go&beyond&the&main&or&crude&
subject&to&a&deeper&level&where&the&connotations&might&be&metaphorical.&&
• Towards&the&end&the&poet&generally&tries&to&provide&comfort&to&ease&the&pain&
of&the&situation.&The&Christian&elegies&usually&proceed&from&sorrow&and&
misery&to&hope&and&happiness&because&they&say&that&death&is&just&a&hindrance&
in&the&way&of&passing&from&the&mortal&state&into&the&eternal&state.&&
• An&elegy&is¬&always&based&on&a&plot.&&
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Function of Elegy
Elegy&is&one&of&the&richest&literary&forms&because&it&has&the&capacity&to&hold&
emotions&that&deeply&influence&people.&The&strongest&of&the&tools&elegy&uses&is&its&
