What is the primary defining characteristic of an elegy as a specific subgenre of lyric poetry?

Correct answer: A poem of serious reflection, a lament for the dead or meditation on mortality

An elegy is a formal lyric poem written to mourn the loss of a specific individual or to reflect deeply on the broader themes of death, transience, and human mortality. While it begins in profound grief and melancholic lamentation, a traditional lyric elegy typically charts a psychological progression that moves toward consolation, acceptance, and spiritual solace by its conclusion.