Exploring Literary Genres and Communication
Literary Communication
1.1 General Characteristics
In literature, communication involves a sender (author) and a receiver (reader). This relationship differs from ordinary communication because the author delivers a message without knowing the recipient or their context. The reader’s expectations are based on the author’s previous works.
The Purpose of Literary Communication
The purpose of all communication is to convey a message. While regular communication often has a specific practical purpose, literary communication does not seek immediate utility. The aesthetics of the message are essential in a literary text.
The Aesthetic Function
- Language is fundamental, and the form can be as important as the content.
- Attention is drawn to the way the message is conveyed, its beauty, and originality.
- Authors use literary devices like metaphors and irony.
- Literary works are created to endure beyond their time.
The Production and Reception of Literature
These are inseparable aspects of literary communication. Production includes creation, publication, and distribution (involving editors and specialists). Printing, paper, publishing houses, and bookstores are traditional elements of book production. Other media include CDs, computers, radio, television, the internet, cinema, and the press.
Literary Topics
These are recurring themes and motifs throughout literary tradition, originating mostly from Greco-Roman classical literature. Some important ones include:
Carpe Diem
An invitation to enjoy beauty, youth, and life, commonly found in Renaissance and Baroque lyric poetry.
Locus Amoenus
An idealized description of a landscape or nature, used in Renaissance poetry and pastoral novels.
Ubi Sunt?
Expresses concern about the transience and vanity of life and things, often appearing in poetry, especially from the Middle Ages.
Narrative Genre
Early forms include classical epics (in verse) and medieval epic poems. In modern times, the novel is the prominent narrative genre.
1) Novel
Tells a story, usually with a complex plot, about fictional characters in a specific time and place. It has various subgenres.
2) Short Story
Brief and less complex than a novel.
3) Story
A short narrative with few characters and a simple, focused action. Includes folk tales and literary tales.
4) Fable
A short story in prose or verse with a moralizing purpose, often featuring animals.
Lyric Genre
Expresses subjective feelings and emotions. Form is crucial, with poets using verses, stanzas, and rhythm. Rhythm is achieved through the repetition of elements.
Lyric Subgenres
- Ode: Formal and elevated composition praising something or someone.
- Elegy: Expresses sadness and grief, often for someone’s death.
- Eclogue: Pastoral composition with idealized nature, featuring two shepherds dialoguing about love.
- Satire: Criticizes everyday life, often through ridicule of vices or defects.
- Epigram: Short, witty, and satirical composition.
Theater Genre
Theatrical texts consist of dialogue and stage directions. Plays can be divided into acts (or days), and each act can have scenes. A scene involves the same characters, while a change in scenery marks a new scene.
Basic Theatrical Forms
- Tragedy: Depicts a conflict between a hero and a greater force that ultimately destroys them.
- Comedy: Aims to provoke laughter, often through ridicule and caricature, with a happy ending.
- Drama: Broadly, any piece written for the theater. Specifically, a genre mixing tragedy and comedy.
Didactic and Essay Genres
These texts combine poetic or aesthetic functions with other purposes. Their artistic value depends on the author’s skill.
Didactic Text
- Dialogue: Two sides exchange arguments to reach a conclusion.
- Essay: Subjective and well-written argument about a topic.
Historical Texts
- Chronicle: Account of events focused on a character, place, or event.
- Biography: Report of a person’s life.
- Autobiography: Author writes about their own life.
- Memoirs: Part autobiography.
- Journal: Author’s personal annotations.
Persuasive Texts
- Speech: Usually on a political or judicial topic.
- Sermon: Usually on a moral or religious topic.
- Conference: Can cover a wide range of topics.
Film Genre
Film is a significant art form of our time, often called the Seventh Art. It’s the twentieth century’s contribution to artistic languages.
Screenplay
- The story of the film. A short version is called a synopsis.
- The final script has two parts: literary script and shooting script.
Shooting
- Framing: Selecting the camera image using levels like close-up, medium shot, long shot, etc.
- Angle: Camera position relative to the subject (normal, high-angle, low-angle).
- Movement: Camera movement during shooting (pan, tracking shot).
Editing
Selecting and assembling the film fragments, discarding unwanted parts.