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The narrative genre is a literary genre that recreates a fictional world from the perspective of a narrator. Although the narratives may be inspired by reality, they are still fictitious as they convey descriptions and perspectives that will always be subjective.
The narrative genre is usually written in prose, although there are some cases of narrative poems, such as "Martín Fierro" or "La Llíada".
The issuer of the narrative genre is called a narrator, an entity that states and relates the events from a particular point of view. That narrator can use the first person (to generate a greater closeness to the facts), the second person (to establish a relationship with the reader) or the third person (to generate a more objective and comprehensive vision).
In the narrative genre, the referential function of language predominates, since it tells a story about a particular topic or referent (which can be real or fictitious).
The other two major literary genres are the lyrical genre, which expresses feelings or states of mind, and the dramatic genre, which is written in dialogue and is intended for representation.
- See also: Narrator in first, second and third person
The narrative subgenres are:
- Epic. It has a mythical character as it narrates the deeds of heroic beings, gods and mythological beings.
- Sing of deed. It is the epic form that is dedicated to the exploits of the knights of the Middle Ages. They are called "songs" because they were transmitted by minstrels who recited these stories, due to the illiteracy of the society of the time (11th and 12th centuries).
- Story. It is usually written in prose and is characterized by its brevity, by the small number of its characters and by the simplicity of its argument.
- Novel. Longer than the story, it narrates a succession of events and describes several characters in a more complex structure. A novel is always, at least in part, fiction. Even historical novels, although they narrate real events, contain facts and passages of fiction.
- Parable. Although it is shorter than the fable, it also seeks to convey a teaching through the use of analogy.
- Legend. It is a popular narrative that is based on a real event, but with supernatural additions that explain different areas of everyday life. They are traditionally transmitted orally, although currently they have also been compiled in printed versions.
- Fable. It tells a short story usually starring animals that have human characteristics such as the ability to speak, think reasonably, or fall in love. Fables contain a teaching called "moral" and are intended to convey the morality of a society.
Examples of narrative genre
- The hare and the Tortoise. Fable example.
Once upon a time, there was a hare who was very vain because of his speed. He always made fun of the slowness of the turtle. The turtle ignored her taunts, until one day he challenged her to a race. The hare was very surprised, but accepted.
The animals were gathered to observe the race and the starting and finishing points were determined. When the race started, the hare gave the tortoise a long lead, while making fun of it. Then he started running and overtook the turtle very easily. Halfway there he stopped and was resting. But inadvertently she fell asleep.
Meanwhile, the tortoise continued to advance slowly, but without stopping. When the hare woke up, the tortoise was just a few steps from the finish, and although the hare ran as fast as he could, he failed to win the race.
The hare learned valuable lessons that day. He learned not to make fun of others, as no one can be considered superior to others. In addition, he discovered that the most important thing is to maintain a constant effort when setting a goal.
- More examples in: Short Fables
- The odyssey. Example of epic in verse.
(Fragment: Meeting of Ulysses with the sirens)
Meanwhile the solid ship on its light course
faced the Sirens: a happy breath impelled her
but suddenly that breeze ceased, a deep calm
he felt around: some god smoothed the waves.
Then my men arose, folded the sail,
they dropped it to the bottom of the boat and, sitting at the oar,
they whitened the sea with foam with polished shovels.
I meanwhile took the sharp bronze, cut a wax loaf
and, breaking it into small pieces, I was pinching them
with my sturdy hand: they soon softened, they were
powerful my fingers and the fire of the sun from above.
One by one my men with them I covered my ears
and, in turn, they tied my legs and hands
on the mast, straight, with strong ropes, and then
to whip with the oars they returned to the foaming sea.
The coast was now no more than the reach of a cry
and the cruise ship flew, rather they perceived
the Sirens passed by and raised their sonorous song:
"Come here, give us honor, glorious Ulysses,
of your march restrain the ardor to hear our song,
because nobody in his black boat passes here without paying attention
to this voice that flows in sweet honey from our lips.
Whoever listens to her happily knows a thousand things:
the works we know that there by the Troad and its fields
of the gods imposed power on Trojans and Argives
and even what happens everywhere in the fertile land ".
So they said, exhaling a sweet voice and in my chest
I longed to hear them. Frowning my eyebrows commanded
my men loosen my tie; they rowed folded
against the oar and standing Perimedes and Eurylochus, throwing
new ropes on me cruelly forced their knots.
When we finally left them behind and it was no longer heard
any voice or song of Sirens, my faithful friends
they removed the wax that I had in their ears
placed when he came and freed me from my bonds.
- The song of Roldán. Example of singing deed.
(Fragment)
Oliveros has climbed a hill. Look to your right, and see the host of the infidels advance through a grassy valley. He immediately calls Roldán, his partner, and says:
-I hear such a grown rumor coming from the side of Spain, I see so many heights shine and so many helmets sparkle! These hosts will put our French in serious trouble. Ganelon knew it well, the low traitor who elected us before the emperor.
"Shut up, Oliveros," Roldán replies; He is my stepfather and I don't want you to say another word about him!
Oliveros has climbed to a height. His eyes span the entire horizon over the kingdom of Spain and the Saracens who have gathered in an imposing multitude. The helmets in whose gold are set the precious stones, and the shields, and the steel of the heights, and also the pikes and the gonfalons tied to the shields shine. He cannot even add up the various corps: they are so numerous that he loses count. In his heart, he feels strongly disturbed. As fast as his legs allow, he goes down the hill, goes up to the French and tells them everything he knows.
"I have seen the infidels," says Oliveros. Never has any man seen such a large crowd on earth. There are a hundred thousand who are before us with the shield on the arm, tied the helmet and covered with white armor; their burnished shields gleam, with the iron upright. You will have to fight a battle like never seen before. French gentlemen, God help you! Resist firmly, so that they cannot defeat us!
The French exclaim:
-Bad who runs away! Until death, none of us will miss you!
- Ceibo flower. Legend example.
Before the arrival of the Spanish to America, a young woman named Anahí lived on the banks of the Paraná River. She was not particularly beautiful, but her singing delighted all the inhabitants of her village.
One day the Spanish invaders arrived, who destroyed the town and captured the inhabitants who survived the attack. Anahí was among them. That night, when the jailer fell asleep, Anahí stabbed him with a knife and escaped. However, she was arrested shortly after and in revenge for her rebellion, they tied her to a tree and set her on fire.
However, instead of being consumed, Anahí turned into a tree. Since then there is the ceibo, a tree with red flowers.
- More examples in: Legends
- The Tell-Tale Heartby Edgar Allan Poe. Story example.
Pay attention now. You take me for crazy. But the crazy people do not know anything. Instead ... if they could have seen me! If you could see how fast I acted! With what care ... with what foresight ... with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than the week before I killed him. Every night around twelve, I would turn the handle of her door and open it… oh, so softly!
And then, when the opening was large enough to pass the head, he would hold up a deaf lantern, closed, completely closed, so that no light was seen, and behind it he would pass his head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cleverly he turned his head! He moved it slowly… very, very slowly, so as not to disturb the old man's sleep. It took me a whole hour to insert my head completely through the opening in the door, until I saw him lying on his bed. Hey? Could a madman have been as prudent as me?
And then, when his head was completely inside the room, he would open the lantern cautiously… oh, so cautiously! Yes, he was cautiously opening the lantern (for the hinges creaked), he was opening it enough so that a single ray of light fell on the vulture eye. And I did this for seven long nights ... every night at twelve ... but I always found my eye closed, and that is why it was impossible for me to do my work, because it was not the old man who irritated me, but the evil eye.
And in the morning, just beginning the day, she fearlessly entered his room and spoke to him resolutely, calling his name in a cordial voice and asking how he had spent the night. You see, I would have to have been a very clever old man to suspect that every night, precisely at twelve, I would go to look at him while he slept.
- Parable of the Sower. Gospel according to Saint Matthew.
That day Jesus left home and sat on the seashore. Such a crowd gathered around Him that He had to go up to sit in a boat, while the whole crowd remained on the shore. And he began to speak many things to them in parables, saying: Behold, the sower went out to sow. And when he threw the seed, some fell by the road and the birds came and ate it. Some fell on rocky ground, where there was not much earth and soon sprouted because the soil was not deep; but when the sun rose, it withered and withered because it had no roots. Another part fell among thorns; thorns grew and choked it. Another, on the other hand, fell on good soil and bore fruit, a hundred part, another sixty and another thirty.
Everyone who hears the word of the Kingdom and does not understand, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart: this is what is sown along the way. What is sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; but it has no root in itself, but is fickle, and when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, it immediately stumbles and falls. What is sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the concerns of this world and the seduction of riches suffocate the word and it remains sterile. On the contrary, what is sown in good soil is the one that hears the word and understands it, and bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty.
- The war and the peace, by Leon Tolstoi. Novel example.
(Fragment)
My goal tomorrow will not be to prod and kill but to prevent my soldiers from fleeing the terror that will invade them and me. My goal will be for them to march together and scare the French and for the French to scare before us. It has never happened and never will happen that two regiments have collided and fought and it is impossible. (They wrote about Schengraben that we clashed with the French in this way. I was there. And it is not true: the French fled). If they had collided they would have been fighting until everyone had been killed or injured, and that never happens.
- Continue with: Literary Genres
