Genres of literature- these are historically emerging groups of works of literature that are united by a set of formal and substantive properties based on formal features.
Fable- a poetic or prosaic literary work of a moralizing, satirical nature. At the end of the fable there is a short moralizing conclusion - the so-called morality.
Ballad is a lyric-epic work, that is, a story told in poetic form of a historical, mythical or heroic nature. The plot of a ballad is usually borrowed from folklore.
Epics- these are heroic and patriotic songs and tales, telling about the exploits of heroes and reflecting life Ancient Rus' IX-XIII centuries; type of oral folk art, which is characterized by a song-epic way of reflecting reality.
Visions- this is a genre of medieval literature, which is characterized, on the one hand, by the presence of the image of a “clairvoyant” in the center of the narrative and the afterlife, otherworldly, eschatological content of the visual images themselves, revealed to the clairvoyant, on the other.
Detective- This is primarily a literary genre, the works of which describe the process of investigating a mysterious incident in order to clarify its circumstances and solve the mystery.
Comedy- a type of dramatic work. Displays everything ugly and absurd, funny and absurd, ridicules the vices of society.
Comedy of manners(comedy of characters) is a comedy in which the source of humor is the inner essence of characters and morals high society, funny and ugly one-sidedness, exaggerated trait or passion (vice, flaw). Very often a comedy of manners is satirical comedy, which makes fun of all these human qualities.
Lyric poem(in prose) - view fiction, emotionally and poetically expressing the author’s feelings.
Melodrama- a type of drama whose characters are sharply divided into positive and negative.
Myth is a narrative that conveys people’s ideas about the world, man’s place in it, the origin of all things, about gods and heroes.
Feature article- the most reliable type of narrative, epic literature, reflecting facts from real life.
Song, or Song- the most ancient type of lyric poetry; a poem consisting of several verses and a chorus. Songs are divided into folk, heroic, historical, lyrical, etc.
Science fiction- a genre in literature and other forms of art, one of the varieties of fiction. Science fiction is based on fantastic assumptions (fiction) in the field of science, including different kinds sciences, such as: exact, natural, and humanities.
Novella- this is the main genre of short narrative prose, a shorter form literary prose than a story or novel. The author of the stories is usually called a short story writer, and the collection of stories is called a short story.
Tale- medium shape; a work that highlights a number of events in the life of the main character.
Oh yeah- a genre of lyric poetry, which is a solemn poem dedicated to an event or hero, or a separate work of such a genre.
Poem- type of lyric epic work; poetic story telling.
Message(uh pistol literature) is a literary genre that uses the form of “letters” or “epistles” (epistole).
Story- a small form, a work about one event in the life of a character.
Fairy tale- This genre literary creativity, h Most often, fairy tales contain magic and various incredible adventures. .
Novel- large shape; a work in which many people usually take part characters whose destinies are intertwined. Novels can be philosophical, adventure, historical, family, social.
Tragedy- a type of dramatic work telling about the unfortunate fate of the main character, often doomed to death.
Folklore- view folk art, which reflects the general patterns of social development of peoples. There are three types of works in folklore: epic, lyrical and dramatic. At the same time, epic genres have poetic and prose forms (in literature, the epic genre is represented only by prose works: short story, novella, novel, etc.). A feature of folklore is its traditionalism and orientation towards the oral method of transmitting information. The carriers were usually rural residents (peasants).
Epic- a work or cycle of works depicting a significant historical era or a major historical event.
Elegy- a lyrical genre that contains in free poetic form any complaint, expression of sadness, or the emotional result of philosophical reflection on the complex problems of life.
Epigram is a short satirical poem that makes fun of a person or social phenomenon.
Epic- this is a heroic narrative about the past, containing a holistic picture of people's life and representing in harmonious unity a certain epic world of heroic heroes.
Essay is a literary genre, a prose work of small volume and free composition.
Literary genre- this is a model according to which the text of a literary work is built. A genre is a set of certain characteristics that allow a literary work to be classified as an epic, lyric or drama.
Main types of literary genres
Literary genres are divided into: epic, lyrical and dramatic. Epic genres: fairy tale, epic, epic, novel-epic, story, novel, essay, story, anecdote. Lyrical genres: ode, ballad, elegy, epigram, message, madrigal. Dramatic genres: tragedy, drama, comedy, melodrama, farce and vaudeville.
Genres in literature have a number of specific characteristics, divided into: genre-forming and additional. Genre-forming features serve to determine the specifics of a particular genre. For example, a genre-forming feature of a fairy tale is an orientation towards fiction. The events occurring in the fairy tale are perceived by the listener as magical, fictitious, and not directly related to reality. The genre-forming feature of the novel is its connection with objective reality, coverage of events that actually happened or those that could happen, a large number of acting characters, paying special attention to the inner world of the heroes.
Development of literary genres
Literary genres do not tend to stand still. They develop all the time and never stop changing. When forming or changing literary genres, attention is paid to real historical reality, in the aura of which the creation takes place literary works.
What is a literary genre for?
We have figured out what a genre in literature is, but it would not be amiss to consider why a literary genre is needed - what function does it perform?
The genre is able to give the reader a fairly holistic idea of the work. That is, if the title of a work contains the word “novel,” then the reader immediately begins to tune in to a significant amount of text, in contrast, for example, to a small “story,” which evokes a corresponding association with the approximate number of pages in the book.
Genre can also give the reader an idea of the content of the work. For example, if it is defined as “drama,” then we can imagine in advance that the person in the work will be shown in a dramatic relationship with society and, most likely, we will observe tragic events at the end of the book.
Together with the article “What is a genre in literature?” read:
4. As you know, all literary works, depending on the nature of what is depicted, belong to one of three GENERS: epic, lyric or drama. A literary genre is a generalized name for a group of works depending on the nature of the reflection of reality.
EPOS (from the Greek “narration”;-) is a generalized name for works depicting events external to the author.
LYRICS (from the Greek “performed to the lyre”;-) is a generalized name for works in which there is no plot, but the feelings, thoughts, experiences of the author or his lyrical hero.
DRAMA (from the Greek “action”;-) is a generalized name for works intended for production on stage; The drama is dominated by character dialogues, and the author's input is kept to a minimum.
The types of epic, lyrical and dramatic works are called types of literary works.
Type and genre are very close concepts in literary criticism.
Genres are variations of a type of literary work. For example, the genre variety of a story can be fantastic or historical story, and the genre variety of comedy is vaudeville, etc. Strictly speaking, a literary genre is a historically established type of artistic work that contains certain structural features and aesthetic quality characteristic of a given group of works.
TYPES (GENRES) OF EPIC WORKS:
Epic, novel, story, story, fairy tale, fable, legend.
EPIC is a major work of fiction telling about significant historical events. In ancient times - a narrative poem of heroic content. In the literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, the genre of the epic novel appeared - this is a work in which the formation of the characters of the main characters occurs during their participation in historical events.
A NOVEL is a large narrative work of art with a complex plot, in the center of which is the fate of an individual.
A STORY is a work of art that occupies a middle position between a novel and a short story in terms of volume and complexity of the plot. In ancient times, any narrative work was called a story.
STORY is a small work of fiction based on an episode, an incident from the life of the hero.
TALE - a work about fictional events and characters, usually involving magical, fantastic forces.
A FABLE (from “bayat” - to tell) is a narrative work in poetic form, small in size, of a moralizing or satirical nature.
TYPES (GENRES) OF LYRIC WORKS:
Ode, hymn, song, elegy, sonnet, epigram, message.
ODA (from Greek “song”) is a choral, solemn song.
HYMN (from Greek “praise”) is a solemn song based on programmatic verses.
EPIGRAM (from Greek “inscription”) is a short satirical poem of a mocking nature that arose in the 3rd century BC. e.
ELEGY is a genre of lyrics dedicated to sad thoughts or a lyric poem imbued with sadness. Belinsky called elegy “a song of sad content.” The word "elegy" is translated as "reed flute" or "plaintive song." Elegy arose in Ancient Greece in the 7th century BC e.
MESSAGE - a poetic letter, an appeal to a specific person, a request, a wish, a confession.
SONNET (from the Provencal sonette - “song”) is a poem of 14 lines, which has a certain rhyme system and strict stylistic laws. The sonnet originated in Italy in the 13th century (the creator was the poet Jacopo da Lentini), in England it appeared in the first half of the 16th century (G. Sarri), and in Russia in the 18th century. The main types of sonnet are Italian (of 2 quatrains and 2 tercets) and English (of 3 quatrains and a final couplet).
LYROEPIC TYPES (GENRES):
Poem, ballad.
POEM (from Greek poieio - “I do, I create”) is a large poetic work with a narrative or lyrical plot, usually on a historical or legendary theme.
BALLAD - a plot song with dramatic content, a story in verse.
TYPES (GENRES) OF DRAMATIC WORKS:
Tragedy, comedy, drama (in the narrow sense).
TRAGEDY (from Greek tragos ode - “goat song”) - a dramatic work depicting an intense struggle strong characters and passions, which usually ends in the death of the hero.
COMEDY (from Greek komos ode - “funny song”) is a dramatic work with a cheerful, funny plot, usually ridiculing social or everyday vices.
DRAMA (“action”) is a literary work in the form of dialogue with a serious plot, depicting an individual in his dramatic relationship with society. Varieties of drama can be tragicomedy or melodrama.
VAUDEVILLE is a genre type of comedy; it is a light comedy with singing verses and dancing.
Farce is a genre variety of comedy; it is a theatrical play of a light, playful nature with external comic effects, designed for rough tastes.
Genre- view literary text. Classifying by genre, literary theorists distinguish epic, lyrical, dramatic, and lyric-epic genres.
Works within each genre are divided by volume into:
- large (novel, epic novel),
- medium (stories, poems),
- small (story, essay, novella).
Although the main classification is related to types of literature, some genres have a thematic division: sentimental, psychological novel, adventure, philosophical novels, etc. This thematic division is very arbitrary. Not all literary scholars agree with a strict classification, for example, by topic. The genre and thematic diversity of works in poetry includes love, philosophical, and landscape lyrics. But this is not a definitive list of all the literary heritage that we have and those works that appear today.
Types of literature
| I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”, I.A. Goncharov “Cliff”, F.M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment” M. Sholokhov “ Quiet Don» |
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| M.Yu. Lermontov “Sail”, A. Akhmatova “Courage” |
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| A.P. Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard”, M. Gorky “At the Bottom” |
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| Lyric epic |
| A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”, M. Yu. Lermontov “Mtsyri” |
Epic genres of literature
- Story- a relatively small work with a small number of characters. As a rule, the author solves one problem and highlights one event (A.I. Kuprin “ Wonderful doctor»)
- Parable- a small genre of didactic literature, identical to the fable, however, distinguished by a higher style. In the parable, allegorical elements of the narrative are observed, sometimes reducing only to a detailed comparison.
- Feature article- one of the types of small form among the epic genres. It is similar to a short story, except that the text does not have a single, acute and relatively quickly resolved conflict; the narrative is smooth and mostly descriptive. (V. Peskov “Window to Nature”
- Novella- one of the main genres of short epic prose, more short work than a story or novel. Although, the authors of stories are usually called short stories, and the totality of stories is called short stories. (A. Green “The Power of the Incomprehensible”)
- Tale- something between a short story and a novel in terms of volume and number of characters and events. Events are presented logically and sequentially (V.G. Rasputin “Farewell to Matera”)
- Novel characterized by a multi-layered plot, there are several lines of narration, multi-problem. There is a great variety of internal and external conflicts. The characters are shown in development over quite a long time (B.L. Pasternak “Doctor Zhivago”)
- Epic novel- this is a large-scale work, often including historical and military events, the socio-political life of the country (L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”)
Lyrical genres of literature
- Lyric poem(N. Rubtsov “In the Autumn Forest”)
- Oh yeah- the leading genre in the direction of classicism. The work glorifies important state or historical events and national heroes. The main feature is the solemnity of style and high style. (M.V. Lomonosov “Ode on the Birth of the Great Sovereign”)
- Elegy- a sad poem expressing deep philosophical reflections about life and man against the backdrop of nature. Personal experiences dominate the narrative. (E.A. Baratynsky “Elegy (Is the hour of goodbye really close!)”)
- Sonnet- a lyrical poem of 14 lines in the form of a complex stanza: 2 quatrains and 2 tercets. (W. Shakespeare “Sonnets of Love”)
- Message- a letter in verse addressed to one person or group of people. According to the content, they distinguish between lyrical, love, friendly, satirical, etc. (A.S. Pushkin “To Count Vorontsov”)
- Epigram- a short ironic-satirical poem that wittily ridicules a specific person or phenomenon. (V.A. Zhukovsky ““Have you written a drama, Fefil?”)
Dramatic genres of literature
- Comedy- a type of drama in which the plot, characters and events are comical. The task is to ridicule the negative phenomena of reality and entertain the viewer. Comedy can be high (A.S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”), lyrical (A.P. Chekhov “ The Cherry Orchard"), satirical (N.V. Gogol "The Inspector General")
- Tragedy- a type of drama based on an insoluble conflict that causes suffering and sometimes the death of the hero (A. S. Pushkin “Boris Godunov”)
- Drama- a mixture of tragic and comic. The conflict, although acute at first, is resolvable by the end. The fate of the main character and the denouement are different forms. The drama does not seek to ridicule people, but shows them against the backdrop of society. (A. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm”).
Lyric-epic genres of literature
- Poem- a multifaceted work with a detailed depiction of events, a long action, including lyrical digressions. (A.S. Pushkin “ Bronze Horseman»)
- Novel in verse– synthesis of the characteristics of the novel and lyrical digressions form the figure of the lyrical hero (A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”)
- Legend- this is a text-memory of something wonderful, important events of the past. A literary legend is usually conceptual, the material is strictly subordinate to the author's idea. (M. Gorky “Old Woman Izergil”)
- Tale- a type of literary narration, often in the form of indirect speech or even in the first person. The colloquial and everyday stylization is clearly visible in the work. (N.S. Leskov “Lefty”)
- Ballad- a poetic story in historical topic with a tight plot. (A.S. Pushkin “Song of the prophetic Oleg”)
Literary genera and literary genres are a powerful means of ensuring the unity and continuity of the literary process. They touch characteristic features narrative management, plot, author's position and the relationship of the narrator with the reader.
V. G. Belinsky is considered the founder of Russian literary criticism, but even in antiquity, Aristotle made a serious contribution to the concept of literary gender, which Belinsky later scientifically substantiated.
So, the types of literature are called numerous collections works of art(texts), which differ in the type of relationship of the speaker to the artistic whole. There are 3 types:
- Epic;
- Lyrics;
- Drama.
Epic as a type of literature aims to tell in as much detail as possible about an object, phenomenon or event, the circumstances associated with them, and the conditions of existence. The author seems to be detached from what is happening and acts as a storyteller. The main thing in the text is the narrative itself.
The lyrics have the goal of telling not so much about events, but about the impressions and feelings that the author has experienced and is experiencing. The main thing will be the image inner world and the human soul. Impressions and experiences are the main events of the lyrics. Poetry dominates this type of literature.
Drama tries to depict an object in action and show it on a theatrical stage, to present what is described surrounded by other phenomena. The author's text is visible here only in stage directions - brief explanations of the characters' actions and remarks. Sometimes the author’s position is reflected by a special character-reasoner.
| Epic (from Greek - “narration”) | Lyrics (derived from “lyre”, musical instrument, the sound of which accompanied the reading of poetry) | Drama (from Greek - “action”) |
| A story about events, phenomena, the fate of heroes, adventures, actions. The external side of what is happening is depicted. Feelings are also shown from their external manifestation. The author can be either a detached narrator or directly express his position (in lyrical digressions). | Experience of phenomena and events, reflection of internal emotions and feelings, detailed image of the inner world. The main event is the feeling and how it affected the hero. | Shows the event and the relationships of the characters on stage. Implies a special type of text recording. The author's point of view is contained in the remarks or remarks of the hero-reasoner. |
Each type of literature includes several genres.
Literary genres
A genre is a group of works united by historically characteristic common features form and content. Genres include novel, poem, short story, epigram and many others.
However, between the concepts of “genre” and “genus” there is an intermediate one - type. It is a less broad concept than gender, but broader than genre. Although sometimes the term “type” is identified with the term “genre”. If we differentiate between these concepts, then the novel will be considered a type of fiction, and its varieties (dystopian novel, adventure novel, fantasy novel) - genres.
Example: genus - epic, type - story, genre - Christmas story.
Types of literature and their genres, table.
| Epic | Lyrics | Drama | |||
| People's | Author's | People's | Author's | People's | Author's |
Epic poem:
Fairy tale, epic, thought, tradition, legend, song. Minor genres:
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Epic Romance:
Minor genres:
|
Song. | Ode, hymn, elegy, sonnet, madrigal, epistle, romance, epigram. | Game, ritual, nativity scene, paradise. | Tragedy and Comedy:
Vaudeville Farce |
Modern literary scholars distinguish 4 types of literature - lyroepic (lyroepos). The poem belongs to it. On the one hand, the poem talks about the feelings and experiences of the main character, and on the other hand, it describes the history, events, and circumstances in which the hero finds himself.
The poem has a plot-narrative organization; it describes many experiences of the main character. The main feature is the presence, along with a clearly structured storyline, of multiple lyrical digressions or drawing attention to the character’s inner world.
The lyric-epic genre includes the ballad. It has an unusual, dynamic and extremely tense plot. It is characterized by a poetic form, a story in verse. May be historical, heroic or mythical in nature. The plot is often borrowed from folklore.
The text of an epic work is strictly plot-based, focused on events, characters and circumstances. It is built on storytelling, not experience. The events described by the author are separated from him, as a rule, by a large period of time, which allows him to be impartial and objective. The author's position can be manifested in lyrical digressions. However, in purely epic works they are absent.
Events are described in the past tense. The narration is unhurried, unhurried, measured. The world seems complete and fully known. Lots of detailed details, great thoroughness.
Major epic genres
An epic novel can be a work that covers a long period in history, describes many characters, with intertwining storylines. Has a large volume. The novel is the most popular genre these days. Most of the books on bookstore shelves are in the romance genre.
The story is classified as either a small or medium genre, focusing on one storyline, on the fate of a specific hero.
Minor genres of epic
The story embodies small literary genres. This is the so-called intensive prose, which, due to its small volume, lacks detailed descriptions, enumeration and an abundance of details. The author is trying to convey a specific idea to the reader, and the entire text is aimed at revealing this idea.
The stories are characterized by the following features:
- Small volume.
- The plot centers on a specific event.
- A small number of heroes - 1, maximum 2-3 central characters.
- It has a specific topic to which the entire text is devoted.
- It has the goal of answering a specific question; the rest are secondary and, as a rule, are not disclosed.
Nowadays, it is almost impossible to determine what is a story and what is a novella, even though these genres have completely different origins. At the dawn of its appearance, the novella was a short, dynamic work with an entertaining plot, accompanied by anecdotal situations. There was no psychologism in it.
An essay is a genre of non-fiction literature based on real facts. However, very often an essay can be called a story and vice versa. There won't be much mistake here.
IN literary fairy tale a fairy-tale narrative is stylized, it often reflects the mood of the entire society, and some political ideas are heard.
Lyrics are subjective. Addressed to the inner world of the hero or the author himself. This type of literature is characterized by emotional interest and psychologism. The plot fades into the background. What is important is not the events and phenomena themselves, but the hero’s relationship to them, how they influence him. Often events reflect the state of the character's inner world. The lyrics have a completely different attitude towards time, it seems as if it doesn’t exist, and all events take place exclusively in the present.
Lyrical genres
The main genres of poems, the list of which goes on:
- Ode is a solemn poem that aims to praise and exalt
- hero (historical figure).
- Elegy is a poetic work with sadness as the dominant mood, representing a reflection on the meaning of life against the backdrop of a landscape.
- Satire is a caustic and accusatory work; the epigram is classified as a poetic satirical genre.
- An epitaph is a short work of poetry written on the occasion of the death of someone. Often becomes an inscription on a tombstone.
- Madrigal is a short message to a friend, usually containing a hymn.
- The epithalamus is a wedding hymn.
- An epistle is a verse written in the form of a letter, implying openness.
- A sonnet is a strict poetic genre that requires strict adherence to form. Consists of 14 lines: 2 quatrains and 2 tercets.
To understand drama, it is important to understand the source and nature of its conflict. Drama always aims at direct representation; dramatic works are written for performance on stage. The only means of revealing the character of a hero in a drama is his speech. The hero seems to live in the spoken word, which reflects his entire inner world.
The action in a drama (play) develops from the present to the future. Although events occur in the present time, they are not completed, they are directed towards the future. Since dramatic works are aimed at staging them on stage, each of them involves entertainment.
Dramatic works
Tragedy, comedy and farce are genres of drama.
At the center of classical tragedy is an irreconcilable eternal conflict that is inevitable. Often a tragedy ends with the death of heroes who were unable to resolve this conflict, but death is not a genre-defining factor, since it can be present in both comedy and drama.
Comedy is characterized by humorous or satirical image reality. The conflict is specific and, as a rule, can be resolved. There is a comedy of characters and a comedy of situations. They differ in the source of comedy: in the first case, the situations in which the heroes find themselves are funny, and in the second, the heroes themselves are funny. Often these 2 types of comedy overlap with each other.
Modern dramaturgy gravitates towards genre modifications. A farce is a deliberately comic work in which attention is focused on comic elements. Vaudeville is a light comedy with a simple plot and a clearly visible author's style.
There is no way to define drama as a kind of literature and drama as a literary genre. In the second case, drama is characterized by an acute conflict, which is less global, irreconcilable and insoluble than a tragic conflict. The work centers on the relationship between man and society. The drama is realistic and close to life.