Which type of poem was most popular during the mid-eighteenth century, at the height of the neoclassical era?

The story "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella" by Sorrentino conveys the two themes of the absurdity of the world and the monotony of everyday life. Even though Sorrentino did not write this story with the intent of themes or symbols many can be interpreted from it. The fact that the man is consistently hitting the narrator in the head for 5 years straight is the reason for the theme of the absurdity of the modern world. It is very absurd that a man would hit another man on the head with an umbrella nonstop for five years of his life. The feeling of being hit on the head by the umbrella represents the feeling of monotony that comes from everyday life.

Explanation:

it is believed to be alfred, lord himself