Literary Forms + Genres Flashcards
Allegory
A narrative in which a literal meaning corresponds clearly and directly to a symbolic meaning
Anecdote
The brief narration of a single event or incident
Autobiography
The non-fictional story of a persons life, as told by that person
Ballad
Traditionally, a folk song telling a story or legend in simple language, often with a refrain
Biography
The non-fictional story of a persons life
Black comedy
Disturbing or absurd material presented in a humorous manner, usually with the intention to comfort uncomfortable truths
Burlesque
A humorous imitation of a serious work of literature; humor arises from the incongruity between the imitation and the work being imitated
Confessional poetry
Autobiographical poetic genre in which the poet discusses intensely personal subject matter with unusual frankness
Dirge
A short poetic expression of grief; different from an elegy, in that it is often embedded in a larger work, is less highly structured, and is meant to be sung
Drama
A composition meant to be performed; often used interchangeably with play, but also includes radio broadcast, comedy sketches, and opera
Dramatic monologue
Poem containing words that a fictional or historical character speaks to a particular audience
Dystopic literature
Genre fiction that presents an imagined future society that purports to be perfect and utopian but which the author presents to the reader as horrifyingly in human
Elegy
A formal poem that
laments the death of a friend or public figure, or, occasionally, and meditation on death itself
Epic
A lengthy narrative that describes the deeds of a heroic figure, often of national or cultural importance, and elevated language
Epistle
Letters written with the intent for widespread publication
Fable
A short pros or verse narrative, illustrating a moral which is often stated explicitly at the end; frequently, the characters are animals embodying different human character traits
Fiction
Invented narrative
Legend
A story about a heroic figure, usually derived from oral tradition, and usually based partly in fact and partly in fiction
Memoir
In autobiographical work, focusing on the authors involvement in historical events and the characterization of characters other than the author
Myth
A story about a cultures believes and practices, or of supernatural phenomenon, usually derived from oral tradition and set in an imagined supernatural past
Nonfiction
Narrative work reporting true events
Novel
fictional prose narrative of significant length
Bildungsroman
(German) ‘ Formation novel’; novel about a child or adolescent development into maturity, with special focus on the protagonist quest for identity
Novel of manners
A novel focused on the social customs of a certain class of people, often with a sharp eye for irony
Social protest novel
A novel in which the authors aim is to tell a story that illuminates and draws attention to contemporary social problems with the goal of inciting change for the better
Verse novel
Full length fictional work that is novelistic in nature but written inverse rather than pros
Novella
A work of fiction of middle length, often divided into a few short chapters
Ode
A serious lyric poem, often of significant length, usually comforting to an elaborate metrical structure
Parable
A short narrative illustrating a moral by means of allegory
Pastoral
A celebration of the simple, rustic life
Comedy
A lighthearted play characterized by humor and a happy ending
Farce
High energy comedy that plays on confusions and deceptions between characters and features a convoluted and fast-paced plot; often incorporates buffoonery, slapstick, and stock characters to provoke uproarious laughter
Tragedy
A serious play which ends on happily for the protagonist
Tragicomedy
A play which mixes tragedy and comedy
A one act play
A play consisting of a single act, without intermission and running usually less than an hour
Propaganda
It work of didactic literature that aims to influence the reader on a specific social or political issue
Prose
Any composition not written in verse
Prose poem
A poetic work that features the strong rhythms of free verse but is presented on the page in the form of pros, without line breaks
romance
A non-realistic story, in verse or pros, featuring idealize characters, improbable aventures, and exotic settings
Chivalric romance
A romance which describes the adventures of medieval knights and celebrate their strict code of honor, loyalty, and respectful devotion to women
Satire
Work which exposes to ridicule the shortcomings of individuals, institutions, or society, often to make a political point
Science-fiction
Fictions it in an alternate reality often a technologically advanced one and that contains fantastic events
short story
It work of prose Fiction that is much shorter than a novel and focused more tightly on a single event
Short-short story
Particularly compressed and truncated story, rarely longer than 1000 words
Soliloquy
A speech, often a verse, by lone character, expressing his or her thoughts
