Understanding Narrative Styles and Literary Genres
Direct Style
Plasma when the narrator presents the text or dialogue of the characters directly to each other, without intervening or taking an active part in their discursive expressions. This implies that the characters themselves are speaking, evident with the use of quotes.
- “- It appears that there were no classes yesterday …”
- “- Really? If I had known, I would not have worried so much about my absence.”
Reported Speech
The narrator’s presence is shown in the discourse of the story. The narrator has exclusivity and monopoly of the language, giving the floor to the characters when they want it or expressing the participants’ ideas through their voice. The characters are subordinate to it, and the conjunction “that” is used to introduce the words of others.
- “Sebastian told him four years ago he is waiting”
Free Indirect Style
The words of the characters appear alongside the narrator’s in a unified way. It is a mixture of the two styles mentioned above since it connects the narrator’s voice and interventions with the speech of the characters.
- “- Hello, you hear me?” Josefina said from the other side of the door.
Types of narrator
3rd person
NARRATOR OMNISCIENT (all-knowing). The omniscient narrator has total and absolute knowledge of the facts. They know what the characters think and feel: their feelings, intentions, plans…NARRATOR OBSERVER. Considers only what can be observed. The narrator shows what they see, much like a film camera.
1st person
NARRATOR PROTAGONIST. The narrator is also the protagonist of the story (real or fictional autobiography).
NARRATOR SECONDARY CHARACTER. The narrator is a witness who has seen the development of the facts.
2nd person
The narrator speaks in the 2nd person. It creates the effect of being told the story to yourself or a self-split.With the lyrical name designating a broad literary genre, including a variety of texts, mainly those usually called poems.
The salient features of the lyric are:
- The center of the poem is in the intimacy of the poet, tastes, feelings, emotions, and the desire to express them.
- The poet expresses those feelings through a physical reality, which is used as a symbol that represents the poet’s inner self.
In addition to such “internal” features, we noted several “external” ones.
Writing in verse (there is also lyrical prose). Repetitive language, both morphologically and semantically.
Within the lyric, we distinguish four subgenres:
A. Ode:
A poem of some length for the exaltation of a person or thing. Fray Luis de Leon wrote an ode to retired life.
B. Elegy:
A composition that expresses a feeling of regret at an individual or collective misfortune, as in the case of Jorge Manrique’s Verses on the death of his father, or Miguel Hernandez’s cry for Ramon Sijé.
C. Eclogue:
The poet puts their feelings of love into the mouths of pastors, as does Garcilaso de la Vega.
D. Satire:
A composition in verse or prose that censors individual or collective defects.
Narrative
In very general terms, narrative works are those that tell a story and have an artistic dimension.
A narrative depends on the narrator and is built around characters, situations, and facts.
Subgroups
This genre can be divided into three subgroups of works.
A. – THE EPIC
Epics or epic compositions differ from any other account due to two characteristics:
1.- The heroic nature of the actions narrated and their exaltation.
2.- The verse form.
B. – THE STORY
The essential features by which the story is distinguished from both the epic and the novel are brevity, conciseness, and concentration of the story.
Dramatic
Description
What distinguishes the theatrical genre from the above is the predominance of dialogue over other forms of expression. In some cases, the character can talk to themselves, which is a monologue. In most works, monologue and dialogue alternate.
Unlike the novel, the theater does not need a narrator, as it is dominated by the characters and action.
Subgroups
A. THE COMEDY: The funny thing is when there is an unexpected solution that causes laughter. It develops an argument with a happy ending.
B. THE DRAMA: It poses a real and painful conflict by placing the characters in fully human circumstances.
C. TRAGEDY: The characters are moved by ideas, and the outcome usually leads to death, and one of the characters cannot change their destiny dominated by superior forces.