Elegy | Literary Term | English Literature | Major English | Plus Two Level
Elegy
is a type of literature defined as a song or poem, written in elegiac couplets,
that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died. This type
of work stemmed out of a Greek work known as an 'elegus', a song of mourning or
lamentation that is accompanied by the flute. Beginning in the 16th century,
elegies took the form we know today. The famous elegy of Thomas Gray’s 'Elegy Written
in a Country Churchyard' is notable in that it mourned the loss of a way of
life rather than the loss of an individual. His work, which some consider to be
almost political, showed extreme discontent for strife and tyranny. This work
also acted as an outlet for Gray’s dissatisfaction with those poets who wrote
in accordance with the thoughts and beliefs of the upper class. In his elegy,
Gray mourned for his country and mourned for its citizens.
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