Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, and Romantic Texts
Narrative
The narrative is an account of actions, real or fictitious, carried out by characters. The narrator is the voice the author uses to tell the story. A narrator who doesn’t participate in the events is an external narrator, while a narrator who is the protagonist or witness is an internal narrator. The external narrator presents the facts using the third person, whereas the internal narrator often uses the first person.
The action consists of events located in time and space. A story has an external time (the time of occurrence) and an internal time (the sequence of events). The narrative space can be real or imaginary.
The characters carry out the actions. Characters can be major or minor. Among the main characters are the protagonist (central character) and the antagonist (opponent). Characters can also be flat/stereotyped (lacking psychological complexity) or round (psychologically deep).
Narrative and Linguistic Features
Past tenses dominate narrative: past simple, past perfect, and present perfect (used for historical present). Time markers indicate events occurring before, during, or after other events.
Description
Description presents the characteristics of living things, objects, places, or events, both real and perceived. Descriptions can be objective or subjective. Technical and scientific descriptions are often objective, presenting reality without personal opinions. Literary and advertising descriptions are often subjective, reflecting the author’s perception.
Linguistic Features of Description
Adjectives express qualities. Spatial markers indicate location. Similes and metaphors are common.
Dialogue
Dialogue is an exchange of information between two or more actors who alternate speaking.
Linguistic Features of Dialogue
Different sentence modalities regulate speaking turns. Vocatives and other discourse markers maintain communication. Formulas open and close dialogue, manage turns, and express viewpoints.
Exposition
Exposition conveys information objectively, orderly, and clearly. There are two types: informative expositions (for audiences without specific knowledge) and specialized expositions (for knowledgeable audiences).
Structure of Exposition
- Introduction: Presents the topic and viewpoint.
- Development: Explains concepts and data using various orders (causal, spatial, chronological, enumerative).
- Conclusion: Summarizes main points.
Romanticism
Originating in late 18th-century England and Germany, Romanticism reacted against the Enlightenment. Romantics distrusted reason, believing rationalism failed to improve society. This perceived failure caused disappointment and pessimism, leading to a focus on feelings and fantasy.
Characteristics of Romanticism
- Rebellion: Questioned societal morality and bourgeois values, often featuring marginalized characters (beggars, thieves, pirates).
- Escapism: Encouraged flight into the past (especially the Middle Ages) and remote locations.
- Nature: Expressed emotions through nature (dark environments, rugged landscapes, rough seas).
- Nationalism: Focused on the “soul of the people,” collecting popular literature, legends, traditions, and regional stories.
Romantic Poetry
- Used varied verse forms and stanzas.
- Themes: ideal love, passion, individual loneliness.
- Rhetorical language.
- Types: lyric poetry (expressing feelings and worldview), narrative poetry (storytelling based on legends).
Romantic Drama
- Broke with Enlightenment rules, rejecting units of action, time, and place.
- Featured mysterious heroes with tragic fates.
- Gloomy settings (prisons, cemeteries, churches, forests, ruins).
- Rhetorical language, mixing verse and prose.