Literary genre - Wikipedia Literary genre From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Category of literary composition Main article: Literature Literature Major forms Novel Poetry Drama Short story Novella Genres Adventure Comedy Drama Epic Erotic Nonsense Lyric Mythopoeia Rogue Romance Satire Speculative fiction Tragedy Tragicomedy Media Performance Play Books Techniques Prose Poetry History and lists History modern Outline Glossary of terms Books Writers Literary awards poetry Discussion Criticism Theory (critical theory) Sociology Magazines  Literature portal v t e A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length. They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided into more concrete distinctions.[1] The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, and even the rules designating genres change over time and are fairly unstable.[2] Much of current classical literary genres starting with the ideologies of Aristotle as outlined in his famous treatises, Rhetoric and Poetics. In the treatise Rhetoric, Aristotle arranges rhetorical literary genres into three categories: the deliberative, forensic, and epideictic.[3] He further categorizes genres of poetry in his treatise Poetics, where he also creates three different genre forms: the epic, tragedy, and comedy.[3] Aristotle's ideas regarding literary genre were fine-tuned through the work of other scholars. [4] Genres can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as a subgenre (see below), but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were composed. Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young adult, or children's. They are also not the same as 'format', such as graphic novel or picture book sub-genre. Contents 1 History of genres 1.1 Foundation of genre with Aristotle 1.2 Other scholars' contributions 2 Genres 3 Modern genre theory 4 Major forms 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links History of genres[edit] "Allegories of literary genre" by Constant Montald Foundation of genre with Aristotle[edit] Genre ideology began to truly develop with the ideologies and written works of Aristotle, who applied biological concepts to the classification of literary genres.[5] These classifications are mainly discussed in his treatises Rhetoric and Poetics. In these treatises, he outlines rhetorical literary genres as well as prose and poetry genres. In Rhetoric, Aristotle introduces three new rhetorical literary genres: deliberative, forensic, and epideictic. He discusses the goals of the orators in what they hope to accomplish through the use of these rhetorical genres. [3] In his treatise Poetics, Aristotle discusses three main prose/poetry genres: the epic, tragedy, and comedy. He discusses these genres as chief forms of imitative poetry, noting that they are representations and imitations of human emotions and characteristics. [6] Other scholars' contributions[edit] Genre was further developed by numerous literary critics and scholars. Notably, a scholar by the name of Northrop Frye published "Anatomy of Criticism," where he theorizes and verbalizes a system of genres. Through the system, he uses a set of rules to describe the constraints of each genre.[1] In his piece, he defines methodological classifications of the genres of myth, legend, high mimetic genre, low mimetic genre, irony, the comic, and the tragic through the constitution of "the relation between the hero of the work and ourselves or the laws of nature." [1] He also uses the juxtaposition of the "real" and the "ideal" to categorize the genres of romance (the ideal), irony (the real), comedy (transition from real to ideal), and tragedy (transition from ideal to real). Lastly, he divides genres by the audience they are intended for into: drama (performed works), lyric poetry (sung works), and epic poetry (recited works). [1] Prior to Frye, there were a number of works written that helped shape literary genre. One of the works was by Cassius Longinus, a philosopher who wrote a treatise called "On the Sublime" which discussed the works of more than 50 literary writers and the methods they used to influence their audiences' emotions and feelings.[7] The idea of 'imaginative' genre, or genre that exists on factually untrue invented places, people, or things- writing about what does not exist- only started in the Romantic period.[4] The reason for this shift is often attributed to the social events that were taking place in the Western world in terms of wars, infighting and overthrown leadership. [4] People felt the need for "escapism" to remove themselves from their respective situations. [4] Genres[edit] Further information: List of writing genres William Shakespeare's statue Literary works exist in various types, and genres categorize them based on specific shared conventions, as noted above.[8] Genres are then further divided into subgenres. Literature is subdivided into the classic three forms of Ancient Greece, poetry, drama, and prose. Poetry may then be subdivided into the genres of lyric, epic, and dramatic. The lyric includes all the shorter forms of poetry, e.g., song, ode, ballad, elegy, sonnet.[8] Dramatic poetry might include comedy, tragedy, melodrama, and mixtures like tragicomedy. The standard division of drama into tragedy and comedy derives from Greek drama.[8] This division into subgenres can continue: comedy has its own subgenres, including, for example, comedy of manners, sentimental comedy, burlesque comedy, and satirical comedy, and so on. Often, the criteria used to divide up works into genres are not consistent, and can be subjects of debate, change and challenge by both authors and critics.[2] However, some basic distinctions can be almost unanimous. For example, a common loose genre like fiction ("literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may be based on a true story or situation") is well-known to not be universally applicable to all fictitious literature, but instead is typically restricted to the use for novel, short story, and novella, but not fables, and is also usually a prose text. Semi-fiction or spans stories include a substantial amount of non-fiction. It may be the retelling of a true story with only the names changed. It can also work reciprocally, where fictional events are presented with a semi-fictional character, such as Jerry Seinfeld. Modern genre theory[edit] The origins of modern genre theory is linked back to the European Romantic movement in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, where the concept of genre was scrutinized heavily.[9] The idea that it was possible to ignore genre constraints, and the idea that each literary work was a "genre unto itself"[9] gained popularity. Genre definitions were thought to be "primitive and childish." [9] From that point until the twenty-first century, modern genre theory often sought to dispense of the conventions that have marked the categorization of genres for centuries. However, the twenty-first century has brought a new era in which genre has lost much of the negative connotations associating it with loss of individuality or excess conformity. [9] Major forms[edit] Poetry (sonnets, haiku, limerick) Prose (notebook, novel, novella, short story) See also[edit] Genre fiction List of writing genres Notes[edit] ^ a b c d Reeder, Roberta; Todorov, Tzvetan; Howard, Richard (1976). "The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre". The Slavic and East European Journal. 20 (2): 186. doi:10.2307/305826. ISSN 0037-6752. JSTOR 305826. ^ a b Pavel, Thomas G. (2003). "Literary Genres as Norms and Good Habits". New Literary History. 34 (2): 201–210. doi:10.1353/nlh.2003.0021. ISSN 1080-661X. S2CID 144429849. ^ a b c Collins, James Henderson, II. Exhortations to philosophy : the protreptics of Plato, isocrates, and aristotle. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-19-935860-1. OCLC 902673757.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) ^ a b c d Corrigan, Philip (July 1986). "Book Review: Literary Theory: An Introduction, by Terry Eagleton. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983". Insurgent Sociologist. 13 (4): 75–77. doi:10.1177/089692058601300410. ISSN 0047-0384. S2CID 144848160. ^ Fishelov, David (April 1999). "The Birth of a genre". European Journal of English Studies. 3 (1): 51–63. doi:10.1080/13825579908574429. ISSN 1382-5577. ^ Wagner, Christian (2005). "G. M. Sifakis: Aristotle on the function of tragic poetry". Gnomon. 77 (4): 294–299. doi:10.17104/0017-1417_2005_4_294. ISSN 0017-1417. ^ Weinberg, Bernard (1950-02-01). "Translations and Commentaries of Longinus, "On the Sublime", to 1600: A Bibliography". Modern Philology. 47 (3): 145–151. doi:10.1086/388836. ISSN 0026-8232. ^ a b c "Genres", A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature, English Department, Brooklyn College ^ a b c d Duff, David (2014-09-11). Modern Genre Theory. doi:10.4324/9781315839257. ISBN 9781315839257. References[edit] Bakhtin, Mikhail M. (1983). "Epic and Novel". In Holquist, Michael (ed.). The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-71527-7. Derrida, Jacques; Ronell, Avital (Autumn 1980). "On Narrative: The Law of Genre" (PDF). Critical Inquiry. The University of Chicago Press. 7 (1): 55–81. doi:10.1086/448088. S2CID 162020036. Dorst, John D. (Oct–Dec 1983). "Neck-Riddle as a Dialogue off Genres: Applying Bakhtin's Genre Theory". Journal of American Folklore. 96 (382): 413–433. doi:10.2307/540982. JSTOR 540982. Collins, James Henderson, II. Exhortations to philosophy : the protreptics of Plato, isocrates, and aristotle. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-19-935860-1. OCLC 902673757. Pavel, Thomas G. (2003). "Literary Genres as Norms and Good Habits". New Literary History. 34 (2): 201–210. doi:10.1353/nlh.2003.0021. ISSN 1080-661X. S2CID 144429849. Reeder, Roberta; Todorov, Tzvetan; Howard, Richard (1976). "The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre". The Slavic and East European Journal. 20 (2): 186. doi:10.2307/305826. ISSN 0037-6752. JSTOR 305826. Fishelov, David (April 1999). "The Birth of a genre". European Journal of English Studies. 3 (1): 51–63. doi:10.1080/13825579908574429. ISSN 1382-5577. Wagner, Christian (2005). "G. M. Sifakis: Aristotle on the function of tragic poetry". Gnomon. 77 (4): 294–299. doi:10.17104/0017-1417_2005_4_294. ISSN 0017-1417. Categories Corrigan, Philip (July 1986). "Book Review: Literary Theory: An Introduction, by Terry Eagleton. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983". Insurgent Sociologist. 13 (4): 75–77. doi:10.1177/089692058601300410. ISSN 0047-0384. S2CID 144848160. "Genres", A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature, English Department, Brooklyn College Duff, David (2014-09-11). Modern Genre Theory. doi:10.4324/9781315839257. ISBN 9781315839257. External links[edit] Library resources about Literary genre Resources in your library List of fiction subgenres, definitions, and indicative words (es) Literary Genres Blog v t e Narrative Character Antagonist Antihero Archenemy Character arc Character flaw Characterization Deuteragonist False protagonist Focal character Foil Gothic double Narrator Protagonist Stock character Straight man Supporting character Title character Tragic hero Tritagonist Plot Act Act structure Three-act structure Action Backstory Chekhov's gun Cliché Cliffhanger Conflict Deus ex machina Dialogue Dramatic structure Exposition/Protasis Rising action/Epitasis Climax/Peripeteia Falling action/Catastasis Denouement/Catastrophe Eucatastrophe Foreshadowing Flashback Flashforward Frame story In medias res Kishōtenketsu MacGuffin Occam's razor Pace Plot device Plot twist Poetic justice Red herring Reveal Self-fulfilling prophecy Shaggy dog story Story arc Subplot Suspense Trope Setting Alternate history Backstory Crossover Dreamworld Dystopia Fictional location city country universe Utopia Theme Irony Leitmotif Metaphor Moral Motif Style Allegory Bathos Diction Figure of speech Imagery Narrative techniques Mode Mood Narration Stylistic device Suspension of disbelief Symbolism Tone Structure Linear narrative Nonlinear narrative films television series Types of fiction with multiple endings Form Cantastoria Comics Epic Fable Fabliau Fairy tale Flash fiction Folktale Kamishibai Gamebook Legend Novel Novella Parable Play Poem Screenplay Short story Vignette (literature) Genre Action fiction Adventure Comic Crime Docufiction Epistolary Erotic Fantasy Fiction Gothic Historical Horror List of writing genres Magic realism Mystery Nautical Non-Fiction Paranoid Philosophical Picaresque Political Pop culture Psychological Religious Rogue Romance Saga Satire Science Speculative Superhero Theological Thriller Urban Western Narration First-person Multiple narrators Stream of consciousness Stream of unconsciousness Unreliable Diegesis Self-insertion Tense Past Present Future Related Audience Author Creative nonfiction Fiction writing Literary science Literary theory Narratology Political narrative Rhetoric Screenwriting Storytelling Tellability Authority control BNE: XX525948 GND: 4074285-4 LCCN: sh85077490 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Literary_genre&oldid=995189943" Categories: Literary genres Hidden categories: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages العربية Արեւմտահայերէն Asturianu Azərbaycanca Башҡортса Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Interlingua Italiano עברית Jawa ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latina Lëtzebuergesch Limburgs Nederlands Нохчийн Norsk bokmål Patois Polski Português Română Русский Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt ייִדיש 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 December 2020, at 18:45 (UTC). 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