Libel is a verse genre primarily of the Renaissance, descended from the tradition of invective in classical Greek and Roman poetry. Typically overtly political and cruder and more direct than satire, libels circulated informally in manuscript among friends and political allies rather than through formal publication, following classical precedents that ranged from anonymous Greek epigrams to the named invectives of Roman poets such as Juvenal and Catullus.
Facts
Place of OriginClassical Greek and Roman poetry, flourishing in the Renaissance 1 Notable ExampleCicero's In Pisonem, an attack on Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus 1 Defining TraitExpressly political, bolder and coarser than satire 1 Sources
1. Libel (poetry) (Wikipedia)
Opening sentence
Libel is a verse genre primarily of the Renaissance, descended from the tradition of invective in classical Greek and Roman poetry.
Classical examples section
Cicero's In Pisonem, a hyperbolic attack on Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus
Description paragraph
Libel is usually expressly political, and bolder and coarser than satire.
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