BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 POETRY -- ATTEMPTS TO DEFINE POETRY -- POETRY AND PROSE -- MAJOR DIFFERENCES -- POETIC DICTION AND EXPERIENCE -- FORM IN POETRY -- POETRY AS A MODE OF THOUGHT: THE PROTEAN ENCOUNTER -- POETRY: TERMS AND CONCEPTS -- ABSTRACT POEM -- ALLITERATIVE VERSE -- ALPHABET RHYME -- BARD -- BLANK VERSE -- BOUTS-RIMÉS -- BRETON LAY -- CANTO -- CI -- CLERIHEW -- CONCRETE POETRY -- COUPLET -- CYWYDD -- DITHYRAMB -- DOGGEREL -- DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE -- ECLOGUE -- ELEGY -- ENVELOPE -- EPIGRAM -- EPINICION -- EPITHALAMIUM -- FABLIAU -- FESCENNINE VERSE -- FLYTING -- FOUND POEM -- FREE VERSE -- FU -- GEORGIAN POETRY -- GHAZAL -- GNOMIC POETRY -- HAIKU -- HALF RHYME -- HEROIC POETRY -- HORATIAN ODE -- IDYLL -- JAZZ POETRY -- LIGHT VERSE -- LIMERICK -- LYRIC -- MACARONIC -- METAPHOR -- NONSENSE VERSE -- NURSERY RHYME -- ODE -- OTTAVA RIMA -- PANEGYRIC -- PATTERN POEM -- PHYSICAL POETRY -- PINDARIC ODE -- POET LAUREATE -- PRAISE SONG -- PROSE POEM -- PURE POETRY -- SESTINA -- SONNET -- STANZA -- TERZA RIMA -- TRIOLET -- VERS DE SOCIÉTÉ -- VERS LIBRE -- VERSET -- VILLANELLE -- CHAPTER 2 PROSODY -- ELEMENTS OF PROSODY -- SCANSION -- MEANING, PACE, AND SOUND -- TYPES OF METRE -- PROSODIC STYLE -- THEORIES OF PROSODY -- PROSODY: TERMS AND CONCEPTS -- ALCAIC -- ALEXANDRINE -- ALLITERATION -- ANAPEST -- ASSONANCE -- CAESURA -- CONSONANCE -- DACTYL -- DIAERESIS -- ELISION -- FOOT -- HEXAMETER -- HIATUS -- IAMB -- PENTAMETER -- REFRAIN -- RHYME ROYAL -- RHYTHM -- SPENSERIAN STANZA -- SPONDEE -- SPRUNG RHYTHM -- TETRAMETER -- TROCHEE -- CHAPTER 3 EPIC -- GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS -- USES OF THE EPIC -- VERBAL FORMULAS -- BASES -- THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EPIC -- THE GREEK EPIC -- THE LATIN EPIC -- GERMANIC EPICS -- CHANSONS DE GESTE -- ARTHURIAN ROMANCE -- THE EPIC IN JAPAN -- THE LATER WRITTEN EPIC.

EPIC: TERMS AND CONCEPTS -- BYLINY -- CYCLE -- SKALDIC POETRY -- CHAPTER 4 BALLAD -- NARRATIVE BASIS -- ORAL TRANSMISSION -- THEORIES OF COMPOSITION -- TECHNIQUE AND FORM -- TYPES OF BALLADRY -- MINSTREL BALLAD -- BROADSIDE BALLAD -- LITERARY BALLADS -- SUBJECT MATTER -- THE SUPERNATURAL -- ROMANTIC TRAGEDIES -- ROMANTIC COMEDIES -- CRIME -- MEDIEVAL ROMANCE -- HISTORICAL BALLADS -- DISASTER -- OUTLAWS AND BADMEN -- OCCUPATIONAL BALLADS -- BALAD: TERMS AND CONCEPTS -- BORDER BALLAD -- GOOD-NIGHT -- GWERSIOU -- KLEPHETIC BALLAD -- CHAPTER 5 DRAMATIC LITERATURE -- GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS -- COMMON ELEMENTS OF DRAMA -- DRAMATIC EXPRESSION -- DRAMATIC STRUCTURE -- DRAMA AS AN EXPRESSION OF A CULTURE -- EAST-WEST DIFFERENCES -- GREEK ORIGINS -- BIBLICAL PLAYS -- INTO THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES -- DRAMA IN EASTERN CULTURES -- DRAMA AND COMMUNAL BELIEF -- DRAMA: TERMS AND CONCEPTS -- CHRONICLE PLAY -- CLOAK AND SWORD DRAMA -- COMÉDIE LARMOYANTE -- DIALOGUE -- DOMESTIC TRAGEDY -- DROLL -- EVERYMAN -- HOCKTIDE PLAY -- JESUIT DRAMA -- LITURGICAL DRAMA -- MELODRAMA -- PASSION PLAY -- PROLOGUE AND EPILOGUE -- THEATRE OF THE ABSURD -- TRAGICOMEDY -- UNITIES -- WELL-MADE PLAY -- CHAPTER 6 COMEDY -- ORIGINS AND DEFINITIONS -- THE HUMAN CONTRADICTION -- COMEDY, SATIRE, AND ROMANCE -- THEORIES -- COMEDY AS A RITE -- THE MORAL FORCE OF COMEDY -- COMEDY AND CHARACTER -- THE ROLE OF WIT -- BAUDELAIRE ON THE GROTESQUE -- BERGSON'S AND MEREDITH'S THEORIES -- THE COMIC AS A FAILURE OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE -- DIVINE COMEDIES IN THE WEST AND EAST -- COMEDY: TERMS AND CONCEPT -- AGON -- COMEDY OF HUMOURS -- COMEDY OF INTRIGUE -- COMEDY OF MANNERS -- FARCE -- LOW COMEDY -- MIDDLE COMEDY -- MOCK-EPIC -- NEW COMEDY -- OLD COMEDY -- SATYR PLAY -- SENTIMENTAL COMEDY -- CHAPTER 7 TRAGEDY -- ORIGINS IN GRECE -- AESCHYLUS: THE FIRST GREAT TRAGEDIAN -- SOPHOCLES: THE PUREST ARTIST.

EURIPIDES: THE DARK TRAGEDIAN -- LATER GREEK DRAMA -- THE LONG HIATUS -- ELIZABETHAN -- MARLOWE AND THE FIRST CHRISTIAN TRAGEDY -- SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY -- FROM COMEDY TO TRAGEDY -- SHAKESPEARE'S TRAGIC ART -- DECLINE IN 17TH-CENTURY ENGLAND -- NEOCLASICAL ERA -- CORNEILLE AND RACINE -- THE ENGLISH "HEROIC PLAY" -- THE ECLIPSE OF TRAGEDY -- A NEW VEHICLE: THE NOVEL -- DOSTOYEVSKY'S TRAGIC VIEW -- THE AMERICAN TRAGIC NOVEL -- TRAGEDY: TERMS AND CONCEPTS -- ANAGNORISIS -- CATHARSIS -- HAMARTIA -- HUBRIS -- REVENGE TRAGEDY -- SENECAN TRAGEDY -- CONCLUSION -- APPENDIX: POETS LAUREATE -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.