Literature

Subject matter which is supplied by external objects, such as deeds, events and the things we see around us, and that which is supplied by the poet’s own thoughts and feelings. The former gives rise to Objective poetry, the latter to Subjective. In Objective Poetry the poet acts as a detached observer, describing what he has seen or heard; in the other hand he brings to bear his own reflections upon what he has seen or heard. The same subject matter can be viewed either way. If the poet views it from without confining himself, that is to say merely to his externals, his treatment is objective; if he views it from within, giving expression, that is to say, to the thoughts and feelings it arouses in his mind, his treatment is subjective. Objective Poetry is impersonal and Subjective Poetry is Personal. In the former the focus of attention is something that is outward – a praiseworthy act, a thrilling occurrence, a beautiful sight; in the latter it is the poet himself: whatever the subject may be, his mind is centred on his own thoughts and feelings.

Objective Poetry is older than Subjective. The Primitive people among whom it developed , like the uncivilized races in some parts of the world today, were more interested in what they saw and heard than in what they thought.They valued the experiences of their eye and ear more than the experiences of their mind. Deep thinking may even have been irksome to them, considering that their life was simple, composed more of action than of thought. Their Poetry, therefore, dealt with deeds, events and the things they saw around them, and it called for the little mental efforts from their hearers. At the early stage man has not acquired a subjective outlook, which is the product of civilization. The Epic and the Drama are the forms of this objective poetry, in which, as in the ballad, the writer’s personality remains in the background. The Lyric and the elegy, which belong to later times, represent the subjective variety.

SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE POETRY