08-06-2021, 05:28 PM
I would exclude true epics of any sort and religious literature.
Paradise lost is a mock-epic, so gets through....just barely
There's a strong geographical bias to any such list. For instance, The Raven is not known that well outside of the US, while 'If' is known pretty much everywhere in the English speaking world....but anyone who's heard of it has heard the poem.
A poem that everyone's heard of but few have read - with good reason - would be The Canterbury Tales.
Paradise lost is a mock-epic, so gets through....just barely
There's a strong geographical bias to any such list. For instance, The Raven is not known that well outside of the US, while 'If' is known pretty much everywhere in the English speaking world....but anyone who's heard of it has heard the poem.
A poem that everyone's heard of but few have read - with good reason - would be The Canterbury Tales.