Genre
Narrative Poetry
The oldest poetic mode; includes epic, ballad, romance, and verse novel. Fell from fashion in the 20th century but revived in the long poem and verse novel (Vikram Seth's Golden Gate).
Definition
Poetry that tells a story with characters, plot, and events — distinct from the subjective lyric or dramatic mode.
Example
Homer's Odyssey; Chaucer's Canterbury Tales; Keats' 'The Eve of St. Agnes' (1820).