Poetry have challenged the traditional definitions of the sonnet form, rendering entire sequences of "sonnets" that often lack rhyme, a clear logical progression, or even a consistent count of fourteen lines. "Shi" () Is the main type of Classical Chinese poetry. Within this form of poetry the most important variations are "folk song" styled verse ("yuefu"), "old style" verse ("gushi"), "modern style" verse ("jintishi"). In all cases, rhyming is obligatory. The Yuefu is a folk ballad or a poem written in the folk ballad style, and the number of lines and the length of the lines could be irregular. For the
How Many Miles to Babylon? (novel) and careful description" to depict the chaotic environment created by war. The novel also includes small abstracts from poetry and songs. The title of the novel is derived from a traditional nursery Rhyme, How Many Miles to Babylon?: <poem> </poem> When re-reviewing the novel in 2011, Philip Womack described the novel as "slim but emotionally hefty." For Womack, it's a poignant retelling of how the First World War erased lines of class, and its emotional toil: "Johnston's novel conveys both the insanity of war and the poignancy of unspoken tenderness." In 1982 it was adapted for television by the BBC,