Analysis of Literary Texts: Narrative, Lyrical, and Theatrical
Lyrical Texts
Characteristics
- Expressive function dominates.
- Themes are universal and related to human existence: love, death, solitude, nature.
- Verse form is common.
- Rhythmic organization and repetition of lexical or grammatical structures.
- Abundance of rhetorical figures.
Linguistic Features
- Use of 1st and 2nd person.
- Predominance of nominal constructions.
- Evaluative adjectives reflect the author’s point of view.
- Subjectivity reflected in exclamations, questions, and rhetorical devices.
Narrative Texts
Narrative Objectivity and Plausibility
- Narrator: The voice that tells the story, a fundamental element.
- Author: The real person who lives and writes.
Action and Order of Events
- Linear order: Introduction + Rising Action + Climax + Falling Action + Resolution.
- In medias res: Rising Action + Climax + Falling Action + Resolution + Introduction.
- In extremis res: Resolution + Introduction + Rising Action + Climax + Falling Action.
- Fragmented structure.
Forms of Eloquence and Linguistic Characteristics
- Verbal style prevails.
- Verbs in past tense, simple and compound forms of the indicative.
- Description combined with narration.
- Abundance of nouns and adjectives.
- Use of dialogue and monologue to reveal characters’ thoughts and actions.
Representation of Speech and Thought
- Free direct style: Characters’ speech presented directly without introductory verbs or quotation marks.
- Free indirect style: Similar to indirect style but without introductory verbs, reflects characters’ thoughts.
- Interior monologue: Represents the flow of characters’ thoughts, often illogical and fragmented.
Theatrical Texts / Performing Arts
Read Text and Representation
Dialogues
- No narrator, characters speak directly.
- Main functions: present characters, reveal their personalities, and advance the action.
Dialogue Modalities
- Dialogue between characters on stage.
- Narrative monologue: Informs other characters and the audience about events that occurred offstage.
- Aside: Character expresses their true feelings to the audience in a whisper.
- Soliloquy or monologue: Character alone on stage reflects their thoughts aloud.
- Apparent monologue: Only one character speaks, but others are present and may react.
Stage Directions
- Author’s instructions regarding staging aspects.
- Informative function and style.
Purposes of Stage Directions
- Specify the setting and location of objects.
- Indicate entrances and exits of characters, their movements and gestures.
- Describe characters’ physical and psychological aspects, and specify the tone of dialogue delivery.
Dramatic Structure
- Divided into acts and scenes.
- Typically organized into a beginning, middle, and end.
Connotative Value
The subjective meaning a person assigns to a word, which may differ from its dictionary definition.
Denotative Value
The objective meaning of a word as it appears in the dictionary, shared by all.
Verisimilitude in Literature
The appearance of truth or reality in a work of fiction, achieved by presenting events and characters in a believable way, even if the story is fantastical.