Types of Narrative Worlds in Fiction
Everyday World Narratives
When the reality depicted in a narrative closely resembles our own, representing facts and daily life as accurately as possible, it creates a familiar and realistic effect on the reader.
Key features include: detailed descriptions of landscapes, people, events, and characters, along with objectivity.
Caution: Narratives set in an everyday world adapt to the specific time period they depict. Therefore, just because the events in a work don’t align with our current reality doesn’t mean it isn’t an example of this world type.
Dream World Narratives
This type of world is associated with sleep. Prompted by the search for what is real versus unreal, authors create worlds where logic mirrors the structure of dreams, breaking conventional expectations. However, not every story featuring dreams belongs to this category.
Generally, these narratives create a confusing world, evoking a sense of wonder in the reader.
Example: “The Night Face Up” by Julio Cortázar.
Mythical World Narratives
This refers to narratives, known as myths, originally created to explain certain events, often natural phenomena.
They are characterized by the presence of heroes, anti-heroes, gods, and supernatural occurrences.
Examples: “The Odyssey” and other Greek myths.
Realistic World Narratives
This world seeks to imitate reality through depictions of customs, inclusion of ordinary characters, and detailed descriptions, often aiming for social critique.
The narrative’s credibility stems from its analogy to the real world.
Features include: an omniscient narrator, character-appropriate language, frequent dialogue, and objective descriptions.
Example: “El Llano en Llamas” by Juan Rulfo.
Fantasy World Narratives
When a supernatural force disrupts the established ‘status quo,’ we enter a fantasy world. There are three main types:
- Wonderful Fantasy: The supernatural element is accepted as normal within the plot.
- Explained Fantasy: The supernatural force receives a scientific or rational explanation.
- Unexplained Fantasy: The force disrupts the initial balance without any explanation.
These types can lead to subgenres like Science Fiction.
Examples: “The Metamorphosis” by Kafka, “The Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga.
Marvelous World Narratives
This world exists when the unreal is treated as real, or when absurdity is normal and accepted, such that characters are unsurprised by illogical events. Explanations are often unnecessary.
Common inhabitants include dragons, witches, ogres, fairies, and similar fantastical beings.
Examples: “Snow White,” “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Magical Realism Narratives
Often considered a subgenre of the marvelous world, Magical Realism is particularly expressive of Latin American reality.
Here, characters accept supernatural events without surprise, treating them as commonplace.
A duality often exists between humanity and nature, mutually influencing the plot.
Example: The works of Gabriel García Márquez, especially “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
Utopian World Narratives
As the name suggests, this is a seemingly perfect, ideal, yet unrealistic world.
It proposes specific social, cultural, and political models.
Example: “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley.
Legendary World Narratives
This world originates from the oral tradition of legends.
These stories often evolve over time, are popular or folkloric, and may serve to explain certain phenomena or historical events.
It incorporates fantastic and marvelous elements.
Examples: Legends like “El Caleuche” or “La Pincoya.”