06-22-2019, 07:06 PM
I think ultimately it has to do with form. A novel tells a story, is usually atleast 100 pages and more likely 200-300 pages or more. A short story is usually around a page or up to 10 or so. There are exceptions, like the Iliad or the Dunciad. These are essentailly novels in poetic form. Just as Shakespeares plays are plays in poetic form. Poetry is usually, again there are exceptions, no more than two or three pages. Form is important because form follows function, (as architects say) and the function of a poem is different from the function of a novel, etc. As to content, I think it was Rimbaud ( there may have been others) who first put a short prose poem into 'A Season in Hell' his final poetry collection. So short prose poems became a form of poetry. Everything else applies to all forms, use of language, use of imagery, condensation. That can happen in poetry, plays, TV dialogue and novels and short stories. Perhaps only in poetry is rhyme important, many regard it as old fashioned but rhyme is an important element in poetry. It is also vital in most songs. Song and poetry are first cousins. Ultimatrly good writing as poetry is about sound, meaning and melody. These elements exist in all language both written and spoken. Melody is created by how words and the elements of words ( syllables, consonants and vowels) are combined to make a melody. A phonetic expert can explain this scientifically but most of use just use our ears. It applies much more to song but without it the poetic disappears from writing. A lot of novels contain poetry, as do plays and poetry is everywhere really but it has to be subtracted from a wider context. Poetry as poetry eliminates any other context. Understanding language and imagery is necessary for all fiction writing.