Literary Genres: Narrative, Lyric, and Dramatic Forms

Literary Genres

Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry imitates moods and emotions. Texts in this genre are characterized by:

• Subjective discourse
• Focus on a single aspect
• Brevity
• Presentation in verse

Lyric Subgenres:

Popular Song

Themes of love and religion, characterized by monologue, simple vocabulary and syntax, and varied meter.

Italian Song

Similar themes to the popular song, but with an individual tone. Established meter of five to ten lines.

Eclogue

Presents rural life idealistically, with a nostalgic and melancholic tone. Includes an introduction, closing, and dialogues between shepherds.

Hymn

Praise to gods, religious feelings, patriotic ideals. Liturgical hymns also exist.

Epigram

Theme of praise, presented in various metrical forms.

Elegy

Mixes sadness, melancholy, mourning, and sentimentality. Varied meter.

Ode

Dedicated to important people, beautiful scenery, or contemplative speculation. Varied meter and elevated language.

Narrative

Narrative texts tell stories through a storyteller. They are characterized by:

• Development of a story
• Narration by a fictional storyteller
• Predominance of prose

Narrative Subgenres:

Epic

Extensive narration of a hero’s story, using elevated language and verse.

Romance

Short story in verse with rhyming assonance in pairs.

Fable

Short story with a moral or ideological purpose, presenting a conflict between inanimate objects or animals.

Short Story

Short prose narrative with a conflict, often set in a unique time and space, with limited dialogue.

Fiction

Extensive prose narration presenting a diverse and complex world and a story that can vary in space and time.

Story Analysis

Considers aspects related to actions, characters, time, and place. Characters can be primary or secondary. Actions involve other characters. Space can influence actions. Time can range from hours to months.

Drama

Dramatic texts are created for theatrical representation. They are characterized by:

• Development of a story through words and actions of characters
• Importance of dialogue
• Use of prose or verse
• Collective transmission and reception

Dramatic Subgenres:

Tragedy

Presents a tragic conflict where the hero must overcome adverse destiny. Components include arrogance, suffering, and purgation of passions.

Comedy

Presents a story from a comic perspective, with relatable characters.

Tragicomedy

Mixes elements of tragedy and comedy. Characters can be from various social classes, and the action does not end in catastrophe.

Drama

Presents a conflict less intense than tragedy, focusing on the problems of contemporary man.

Auto Sacramental

Short play associated with the Eucharist, linked to liturgical celebrations.

Minor Dramatic Subgenres:

Entremés

Short, humorous work featuring popular characters, depicting the beginning or middle of a longer piece.

Farce

Short comic piece performed outside of religious festivals and representations.

Sainete

Short, humorous play depicting everyday life.

Medieval Lyric Poetry

Cultured Medieval Lyric

Catalan Lyric

First lyrical movement in Europe, originating in Provence and using the Provencal language. Flourished in the Iberian Peninsula in the second half of the 12th century. Cultivated by troubadours.

Two main forms:

• Canso: Love poem with a male sender and female recipient, expressing courtly love.
• Sirventes: Expression of anger, criticism, personal attacks, or moralizing discourse.

Galician-Portuguese Lyric

Heirs to the Provençal canso. The poetic persona is a man addressing a lady. Includes cantigas de amigo and cantigas de escarnio e maldizer.

• Cantigas de escarnio: Satirical and personal attacks disguised as riddles.
• Cantigas de maldizer: Direct attacks against social groups in a cartoonish tone.

Arabic and Hebrew Lyric

Moaxajas are love poems written in classical Arabic or Hebrew. Structure includes a prelude, verses with the same rhyme and meter as the final jarcha, and a final stanza transitioning to the jarcha.

Popular Medieval Lyric

Jarcha

Earliest examples from the 11th century, written in Arabic, Hebrew, or Mozarabic. Short poems with variable syllables and rhyme, mostly about love.

Cantigas de amigo

Galician-Portuguese poems where the speaker is a woman expressing her feelings to her mother, sisters, or friends. Nature plays an important role.

Villancico

Castilian poems where a woman in love laments her situation.

Cantar de Mio Cid

Epic poem dealing with public and private honor.

Recovery of Honor

The Cid, a nobleman banished by King Alfonso VI, performs feats to regain his honor.

Recovery of Family Honor

The Cid’s daughters are mistreated, leading to a second restoration of honor through victory and new marriages for his daughters.

The poem uses variable verse length, assonance, and grouped verses.