Literary genres. Types and Characteristics of Literary Genres

Literature is an artistic expression that is difficult to be conceptualized. To help us better understand it, Aristotle, in his poetic art, he defined what we call literary genres. Therefore, it is interesting to note that the history of genre theory can be told from the Greco-Roman antiquity, when the first poetic manifestations of culture also appeared western.

You literary genres bring together a set of works that have similar characteristics of form and content. This classification can be done according to semantic, syntactic, phonological, formal, contextual criteria, among others. They fall into three basic categories: epic, lyrical and dramatic genres. It is also worth noting that, currently, literary texts are organized into three genres: narrative, lyrical and dramatic.

Epic or narrative genre: In the epic or narrative genre there is the presence of a narrator, responsible for telling a story in which the characters act in a certain space and time. The following modalities belong to this genre:

Epic;

Fable;

Epic;

Novel;

Tale;

Chronicle;

Rehearsal;

Romance.

Lyrical genre: The texts of the lyrical genre, which express feelings and emotions, are permeated by the poetic function of language. In them there is a predominance of pronouns and verbs in the 1st person, in addition to the exploration of the musicality of words. Among the main structures used to compose the poem are:

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Elegy;

Ode;

Eclogue;

Sonnet.

Dramatic genre: According to Aristotle's definition in his poetic art, the dramatic texts are suitable for representation and apprehend the literary work in verse or prose capable of theatrical staging. The narrative voice is given to the characters, actors who tell a story through dialogues or monologues. The following texts belong to the dramatic genre:

Self;

Comedy;

Tragedy;

Tragicomedy;

Farce.

So that you can get to know the epic or narrative genres, lyrical and dramatic and deepen your knowledge on the subject, Brasil Escola has prepared for you a section on the literary genres in which you will find several articles that discuss the topic in a clear, simple and efficient. Enjoy your reading and good studies!


By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters

The sonnet is one of the most traditional forms and, most of the time, it has content:

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