Characteristics of Narrative Poetry

• Contains many of the same literary conventions found in novels and short stories including plot, characterization, setting, conflict, tone, symbolism, dialogue, etc.
• The poet is neither the narrator nor a character in the story. The narrative is told from the point of view of a main character, a witness to the events in the story, or a person who is retelling a story he or she heard from another person.
• Like other forms of poetry, narrative poetry makes use of imagery, figurative language, and sound patterns.
• Like other narratives, narrative poems usually begin with a description of the main characters or the setting.
• The main purpose of narrative poetry is to entertain, not to express the poet’s thoughts or feelings.
• Narrative poems can be fictional or nonfictional.  It can be related to historical or biographical events.