Literary Genres and Figures of Speech: A Comprehensive Guide
Figures of Speech
Epiphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
Anaphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Homophony: Use of words with the same pronunciation but different meanings.
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate natural sounds.
Paranomasia: Use of words that are similar in sound but different in meaning within the same sentence.
Polysyndeton: Repetition of conjunctions.
Hyperbaton: Alteration of the standard word order.
Literary Genres
Literary genres categorize literary works based on subject matter and form.
Poetry
Written in verse, poetry expresses the poet’s feelings and thoughts. Poetic prose combines elements of poetry and prose.
Theater
Written in verse or prose, theater lacks a narrator and is meant to be performed. Originating in ancient Greece, it evolved from a single actor and chorus to multiple actors. Traditionally, women did not perform, and actors were skilled in singing, reciting, and acting. Plays are structured into acts, scenes, and settings.
Major Theatrical Genres
- Tragedy: Features important figures facing a fatal destiny, evoking catharsis in the audience.
- Comedy: Imitates everyday life with relatable characters, aiming for entertainment.
- Drama: Blends elements of tragedy and comedy, presenting serious conflicts in ordinary settings.
Subgenres of Drama
- Melodrama: Features good and bad characters, often accompanied by music.
- Tragicomedy: Combines tragic elements with a comedic approach, often featuring common people.
- Musical Theater: Incorporates music, including opera (entirely sung), operetta, zarzuela, and revue (partially sung).
Other Theatrical Genres
- Entremès: Short sketches in verse or prose, performed during intermissions.
- Farce: Short comedic plays.
- Sketch: Depicts character types and social customs, often performed at the end of plays.
Lyric Poetry
Presents reality through the author’s subjective perspective, originally intended for singing. Cult lyrics have known authors, while popular lyrics have anonymous authors.
Cult Lyric Subgenres
- Anthem: Expresses collective feelings with a serious tone.
- Ode: Addresses religious or personal subjects.
- Elegy: Laments the death of someone, often a public figure.
- Song: Expresses love, intended for singing.
- Satire: Criticizes or ridicules individual flaws.
Popular Lyric Subgenres
- Religious Song: Praises religious figures, often the Virgin Mary.
- Carol: Sung during Christmas.
- Corrandes: Short folk songs with varied content.
Narrative
Relates events in a specific order, featuring a narrator (internal or external), written in verse or prose.
Narrative in Verse
- Epic: Recounts the heroic deeds of a hero.
- Epopee: Focuses on the deeds of kings or nobles, impacting their people’s history.
- Cantar de Gesta: Medieval epics featuring historical heroes.
Narrative in Prose
- Novel: A long fictional story, categorized by topic (detective, fantasy, historical, science fiction, romance, adventure) and treatment (realistic, psychological, thesis).
- Short Story: A brief narrative with a moralistic purpose (traditional or literary).
- Novella: A short novel focusing on a single event.
- Legend: Based on a historical fact, blending real and fantastical elements.
- Fable: A folk narrative with a moralistic purpose, often for children.
- Diary: Autobiographical account of daily events.
- Memoir: First-person narration of personal experiences.
- Essay: Expresses the author’s opinions on a topic, often published in the press. It combines exposition and argumentation, using formal language and figures of speech.