Genre Peculiarities of Poetry in “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien (On the Example of the Lament for Boromir)

“The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien features a plethora of verse insertions in the form of poems recited or chanted (as songs) by the characters. These poetic texts are characterised by remarkable genre diversity, coinciding Tolkien’s aesthetic and literary preferences as well as his intention to imbue his Secondary World with literary works that could vividly represent the traditions of fictional peoples and elaborate the prose narrative emotionally and semantically. Through the example of the Lament for Boromir sung by Aragorn and Legolas during his burial, this paper examines the peculiarities of Tolkien’s approach to implementing the genre characteristics of lament and elegy for his own literary world (its geography, culture, mythology, etc.). The main focus of the paper is the following features of the Lament for Boromir: the impromptu nature within the context of the novel (reflected rhythmically), dialogue form (the singer is standing on the walls of Minas Tirith, questioning the three Winds about the fate of Boromir), the correlation between the personal and traditional (the individual details of Boromir’s image and his uncommon water burial, opposed to formulaic elements of imagery), indirect connections with the singers’ personalities (the characterising function) and further story events (foreshadowing), constant omissions (creating the sense of uncertainty and preparing the mourner figure for sorrowful tidings), and possible presence of the weeper image in the final verses.