A Sense of Continuity lyric sequences, dramatic cycles and narrative pilgrimages in late medieval and early modern Literature

The current assertion that lyric poetry lacks action and a coherent plot is widely accepted within the scope of literary criticism. The same assertion is also frequently used to discriminate between the lyric mode, on the one hand, and the narrative and dramatic modes, on the other. The common reading experience of lyric poetry does not seem to contradict the statements I have just mentioned. In fact, most people believe they make sense.