Literary Genres: Epic, Lyric, Dramatic, Didactic
Literary Genres
Lyric Genre
The lyric genre is characterized by a subjective attitude where the author expresses personal sentiments. It can be represented in verse or prose.
Lyric Subgenres
- Letrilla: Burlesque, loving, or religious content, often in the form of a carol.
- Ode: Expresses emotion through the contemplation of something.
- Hymn: A poetic composition directed to something, celebrating its virtues.
- Satire: A brief composition that censors individual or collective vices.
- Eclogue: A pastoral character where the fundamental theme is idealized nature and love. (e.g., Virgil’s Eclogues)
- Elegy: Expresses sentiments of loss due to the death of a loved one. (e.g., Coplas por la muerte de su padre by Jorge Manrique)
- Song: A story of praise, similar to the ode, with varied themes, especially love.
- Epistle: Explains concerns, sentiments, and personal reflections in the form of a letter.
- Sonnet: A composition formed by two quartets and two triplets with consonant rhyme and endecasyllabic verses.
- Lyric Romance: A poem born from the dismemberment of epic poems. It has an indefinite number of octosyllabic verses with assonance rhyme in the even verses, the odd verses being free. Used by poets like Antonio Machado and Federico García Lorca. It can express lyrical sentiments or be epic and narrative.
Epic Genre
The epic genre shows an objective attitude and uses narrative form to recount real or imagined events.
Epic Subgenres
- Epic: A long poem about a hero’s exploits. (e.g., The Iliad and The Odyssey)
- Cantares de Gesta: Medieval epic poems recited by anonymous minstrels. They represent the chivalrous spirit of the time.
- Epic Romance: Narrates heroic episodes in the form of a romance.
- Legend: A fictional narrative that arises from a real or historical event, in verse or prose. (e.g., the works of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer)
- Apologue: A short story that usually ends with a lesson or moral. (e.g., El Conde Lucanor)
- Fable: Short stories in verse or prose with animal characters that are prototypes, with a moral ending.
- Novel: A long story in which the narrator tells a story involving determined characters in a specific space and time. (e.g., Cervantes’ novels and Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel)
- Tale: Similar to the novel, but with greater condensation and simpler action. Can be traditional or literary.
Dramatic Genre
The dramatic genre is constituted by works meant to be represented to a public. It uses dialogue as the form of expression, involving several characters.
Dramatic Subgenres
- Tragedy: Features high-class characters and uses high-class language. Characters are driven by passions, leading to a fatal outcome. Peaked in Greece.
- Comedy: Features lower-class characters and a happy ending. Situations are meant to make the spectator laugh, reflecting everyday reality. (e.g., works by Lope de Vega, Calderón)
- Drama: Also known as tragicomedy, where misfortunes do not reach the level of tragedy.
- Auto Sacramental: A one-act play with allegorical characters in verse, exalting the Eucharist.
- Sainete: Comic character, reflecting popular customs and speech.
- Paso: A short, humorous, and burlesque piece.
- Entremés: A short piece of popular character presented during the intermissions of longer works.
- Farce: Satirical with a comic tone, where characters are exaggerated in a cartoonish way.
Didactic Genre (Essay)
The didactic genre integrates writings where the author intends to convey ideas and justify their opinion.
Didactic Subgenres
- Newspaper Article: The author expresses their opinion on a current event.
- Epistle: Used to make comments, share ideas, or criticize defects. (e.g., Cartas Marruecas by José Cadalso)
- Discourse and Sermon: Oral expositions of ideas to an audience. Discourse is used to convince on a political or social issue; Sermon is used for religious or moral issues.