[toc] All literary genres are unique, each of which possesses a complex of exclusively inherent qualities and characteristics. The first known classification was proposed by Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist. In accordance with it, the basic literary genres can be arranged in a small list, which is not subject to any changes. The author, working on a piece of work, should simply find similar features between his creation and the parameters of the specified genres. During the next two millennia, any changes in the classifier developed by Aristotle were hostile and were considered an offset from the norm.
In the XVIII century, a large-scale literary restructuring began. The entrenched views of the genre and their system began to undergo capital changes. The existing conditions became the main prerequisite for the fact that some genres of literature have sunk into oblivion, others have become quite popular, others have only just begun to form. The results of this transformation, which continues even now, we can personally see with our own eyes – types of genres that are different in meaning, in kind and in many other criteria. Let’s try to understand what genres are in the literature and what are their features.
The genre in literature is a historically formed set of literary works united by a combination of similar parameters and formal characteristics.
All existing types and genres of literature can be visually represented in a table in which large groups appear in one part, and in the other – typical representatives. There are 4 main groups of genres by kind:
- epic (mostly prose);
- lyric (mostly poetics);
- dramatic (plays);
- lyroepic (something in between the lyrics and the epic).
Also, types of literary works can be classified according to the content:
- Comedy;
- tragedy;
- drama.
But to understand what kinds of literature it is, it will become much easier if you deal with its form. The form of the piece of work is the method of submitting the author’s ideas, which are put in the basis of the piece of work. There are external and internal forms. The first, in fact, the language of the work, the second – the system of artistic methods, images and means, with the use of which it was created.
What are the genres of books in the form: an essay, a seeing, a short story, an epic, an ode, a play, an epic, a feature-story, a sketch, an opus, a novel, a story. Consider each in details.
Еssay
Essays – a small component of a prosaic orientation with a free composition. Its main goal is to show the personal opinion and concepts of the author on a specific occasion. In this essay is not required to fully disclose the problem of presentation or to answer clearly the questions. Basic features are:
- figurative;
- proximity to the reader;
- aphorism;
- associativity.
There is an opinion according to which the essay is a separate kind of piece of works. This genre dominated in the XVIII-XIX centuries in British and Western European journalism. Famous representatives of the time are J. Addison, O. Goldsmith, J. Wharton, W. Godwin.
Epic
Epos – at the same time the kind, type and genre of literature. He is a heroic tale of the past, showing the then life of people and the reality of the characters from the epic side. Often in the epic, it is told in detail about some person, about an adventure with his participation, about his feelings and experiences. It also describes the attitude of the hero to what is happening around him. Representatives of the genre:
- The Iliad, Odyssey by Homer;
- “Song of Roland” by Thurold;
- “The Song of the Nibelungs,” the author is unknown.
The ancestors of the epic are the traditional poems, songs of the ancient Greeks.
Epopoeia
for free
Epopeia – great works with heroic overtones and those that are similar to them. What is the literature of this genre:
- narrative of important historical moments in poetic form or prose;
- a story about something, including several descriptions of various significant events.
Still, there is a moral epic. This is a special type of narrative in literature, distinguished by its prose and ridicule of the comic state of society. “Gargantua and Pantagruel” by Rabelais could be referred to this category.
Sketch
A short play is called a sketch, in which there are only two (rarely three) main characters. Today, the sketch is used on the stage as a comedy show with miniatures of no more than 10 minutes. Such shows regularly appear on television in Britain, the US and Russia. Famous examples of TV programs – “Nerealnaya istoriya”, “6 kadrov”, “Nasha Rasha”.
Novel
The novel is a separate literary genre. It is a detailed narrative about the development and life of key characters (or one hero) in the most crisis and difficult periods. The main types of a novel in literature are those belonging to a specific epoch or country, psychological, knightly, classical, moral and many others. Known Examples:
- “Eugeniy Onegin” by Pushkin;
- “Doctor Zhivago” by Pasternak;
- “The Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov.
Novella
A short story or story is a key genre of fiction, which has less volume than a novel or story. The main properties of the piece of work include:
- the presence of a small number of characters;
- the plot has only one line;
- cyclicity.
The creator of stories is a novelist, and the collection of short stories is short story novelism.
Piece
A piece is a representative of dramaturgy. It is designed to be shown on the theatre stage and in other performances. The piece consists of:
- speeches of main characters;
- author’s notes;
- descriptions of places where the main actions take place;
- characteristics of the appearance of the persons involved, their behaviour and character.
The piece includes several acts, which consist of episodes, actions, pictures.
Story
The story is a work of a prosaic character. Has no special restrictions on the volume, but is located between the novelet and the novel. Usually, the plot of the story has a clear chronology, shows the natural course of the life of the character without intrigue. All attention belongs to the main person and the specifics of his nature. It is worth noting that the plot line is only one. Famous representatives of the genre:
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by A. Conan Doyle;
- Poor Liza by N.M. Karamzin;
- The Steppe by A. P. Chekhov.
In foreign literature, the concept of “story” is equal to the notion of “short novel”.
Feature-story
Essay – a condensed truthful artistic tale of several events and phenomena, thought out by the author. The base of the feature-story is an accurate interpretation of the object of observation directly by the writer. Types of such descriptions:
- portrait;
- problematic;
- travel;
- historical.
Opus
Opus in the general sense is a play accompanied by music. Main features are:
- internal finality;
- the individuality of the form;
- thoroughness.
In the literary sense, opus is any scientific work or creation of the author.
Ode
Ode is a poem (usually solemn) dedicated to a particular event or person. At the same time, an ode can be a separate piece of work with a similar theme. In ancient Greece, ode considered all the poetic lyrics, even the singing of the choir. From the time of the Renaissance, only highly lyrical poems began to be called so, referring to the images of antiquity.
Vision
Vision – a genre of literature of the Middle Ages, based on the “clairvoyant”, telling about the afterlife and the unreal images that are to him. Many modern researchers attribute visions to didactics of narrative type and publicism, since in the Middle Ages, a person could thus transmit his thoughts about the unknown.
These are the main types of literature in form and what are their variations. Unfortunately, all genres of literature and their definitions are difficult to fit into a small article – there are really a lot of them. In any case, everyone understands the necessity and importance of reading a wide variety of works, because they are real vitamins for the brain. With the help of books, you can improve your intelligence, expand vocabulary, improve memory and mindfulness. BrainApps is a resource that will help to develop in this direction. The service features more than 100 effective simulators that easily pump grey matter.
