Light poetry

Light poetry, also called light verse, is poetry that is less serious than other poetry to which it could be compared. Poems considered "light" are usually brief, on a less serious subject, and feature wordplay, including puns.

Related Topics:
Poetry - Wordplay - Pun

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Light poetry is sometimes condemned as doggerel, or thought of as poetry composed casually or on the fly, without much thought to convention; it sometimes is used to label tasteless or amateur verse. Much such poetry is given to satirical or erotic topics; much of it is love poetry.

Related Topics:
Doggerel - Satirical - Erotic - Love poetry

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While light poetry, by definition, is less serious than other poetry, a number of important poets are well known for light poetry. In classical antiquity, authors who were well known for light poetry include Anacreon and Callimachus, who wrote in Greek; their Latin counterparts include Catullus and Martial.

Related Topics:
Classical antiquity - Anacreon - Callimachus - Greek - Latin - Catullus - Martial

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In English, poets who are well known for light poetry include:

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• Ben Jonson
• many of the Cavalier poets
• Alexander Pope
• Henry Austin Dobson
• Edward Lear
• Ogden Nash
• Dorothy Parker
• Willard R. Espy
 
Light poetry: See also ►