The term “genre” refers to an established category of literary work that employs certain conventions of meter, form, style, and content that distinguish it from other types or kinds of literature. Common genres of poetry are epic, lyric, ballad, sonnet, etc. The conventions of a genre vary according to language and time period. For example, a traditional definition of epic is necessarily very general: “An extended narrative poem that is grand in scope, exalted in style, and heroic in theme, often giving expression to the ideals of a nation or race.” However, the specific conventions will vary dramatically. In ancient Greek and Latin, a sine qua non for epic was use of a single meter, the dactylic hexameter meter, while epics in English employ varied meters (Spenserian stanza, blank verse, heroic couplets, etc.). A poet's choice of genre (or his/her choice to write a poem that does not fit into any genre) is therefore an important clue for understanding and analying a poem. These are some of the questions to ask about genre: