This document outlines the expressive theory of poetry, which defines poetry as an expression or utterance of feelings. It notes that M.H. Abrams and John Stuart Mill discussed this theory. The theory states that poetry should purely express feelings through spontaneous overflow. A poem should convey the state of mind about an object rather than just describing the object itself. Famous works that exemplify this theory include collections by William Wordsworth.

1. Expressive Theory
Ali Surya Wijaya
Adrian Ekky
Vania Soewono
Kezia Zhanetta
Felicia Christine
Yenny Laksmono

2. •Literature of Expressive theory:
• Expressive theory defines poetry as an
expression, or overflow, or utterance, or
feeling or as the products of poet's feeling.
• Poetry is the expression or uttering forth
of feeling.

3. •Who said it?
• Abrams 1979
• Mill’s theory

4. •Steps to understand the literature:
• Read the poem or prose, or story.
• Find the meaning of the difficult words.
• Paraphrase them per stanza.

5. •Mill’s Theory:
• The poetic kinds. Poetry must be pure to express
the feeling. The lyric should be more eminent
and peculiar.
• Spontaneity as criterion. So, the poetry must be
spontaneous overflow of feeling.
• The poetry should be as the state of mind, not in
the object itself. For example, when a poet wants
to tell about lion, he should state the excitement
of the spectator or based to the human
emotion/feeling of the object, not the physical of
the lion itself.

6. •Famous work related to expressive:
• Lyrical Ballads (1798)
• Poems in Two Volumes(1807)
• The Excursion (1814)
• The Prelude (1850)
• By William Wordswroth