Question

A metrical tale, typically a bawdily humorous one, of a type found chiefly in early French poetry is known as

a) Fabliau
b) Ballad
c) Pastoral
d) Ode

Answer 1

A metrical tale from early French poetry that is often bawdily humorous is known as a fabliau. The correct answer is A.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of metrical tale that is often humorously bawdy and found primarily in early French poetry is known as a fabliau. These tales are characterized by their satirical edge and typically involve the lives and misadventures of commoners.

This form of poetry is quite distinct from a ballad, which is often a narrative set to music and written in quatrains with a rhyme scheme of ABCB, a pastoral, which idealizes rural life, and an ode, which is a formal poem of praise.

The fabliau was popular during the Middle Ages and utilized a variety of metres, with the heroic measure being considered the stateliest for narrative poems. Meter in poetry refers to the rhythmical pattern of a verse, and can vary greatly depending on the effect the poet wishes to achieve, as seen in the variety of metres used across different poetic forms. The correct answer is A.

Answer 2

A metrical tale that is usually humorously coarse and found in early French poetry is called a fabliau, not a ballad, pastoral, or ode.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of metrical tale that is typically bawdily humorous and commonly found in early French poetry is known as a fabliau. A fabliau is a narrative poem, typically vivid and satirical in nature, featuring middle or low-class characters, unlike the ballad, which might contain tragic or romantic themes. The ballad is often written in quatrains with an ABCB rhyme scheme and alternates between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. In contrast, the fabliau focuses on comedic and often crude stories. The pastoral centers on rustic life and the beauty of nature, the ode is a form of lyrical verse that praises or glorifies an event or individual, and the ballad narrates stories through song or verse.