Literature's Three main divisions
When most people speak of literature they may be talking about short
stories, novels, poems, verse, odes, plays, tragedies, even limericks.
This wide variety of terms describing types of literature, at first, appears overwhelming.
However figuring all of this out is simplified when you take into account that
the menagerie of types begins with three major paradigms: prose, poetry,
and drama.
Prose
Prose is derived from a Latin root word, prosa, that means
"straightforward" (other scholars argue that the root for
"prose" is proversa oratio, which means "
straightforward discourse." Prose is generally defined as direct,
common language presented in a straightforward manner. A victim of identity by negation, prose is frequently defined as
"that which is not poetry." Prose demonstrates purposeful
grammatic design in that it is constructed strategically by the author to
create specific meaning. Prose also contains plot and the attendant narrative structures of plot.
In most cultures, prose narrative tends to appear after a culture has
developed verse. Prose genres are many and varied, ranging from
science fiction to romance. The major generic divisions of prose are:
- novel - A lengthy fictional prose
narrative.
- novella - A fictional prose
narrative ranging from 50 to 100 pages, most common in science fiction and
detective fiction.
- short
story - a brief fictional prose narrative.
- anecdote - A very brief account
of some interesting, usually humorous, event.
Poetry
Poetry, from the Greek poetes which means "doer" or
"creator," is a catch-all term that is applied to any form of
rhythmical or metrical composition. While poetry is
considered to be a subset of verse (and also considered
to be superior to verse) both are rhythmical/metrical. What distinguishes
poetry from verse is its "imaginative quality, intricate structure,
serious or lofty subject matter, or noble purpose." Most culture's
first serious literary works are poetry (In Western tradition, we need look
only as far as Homer and Hesiod).
The purposes of poetry are said to include:
1. A didactic purpose, meaning that it aims to
instruct the reader.
2. Unique insight that
is not available in other genres.
3. To provide pleasure
to the reader.
4. To uplift the reader
to some higher insight or meaning.
Drama
Drama, is simply a work that is written to
be performed on stage by actors. From the Greek dran, meaning "to do," drama is thought to have developed from
ancient religious ceremonies. For instance, Greek comedy is traced to ancient fertility
rites. Tragedy (which comes from the
Greek word for "goat song") can be traced back to sacrificial
rituals.
The term play has come to mean
drama written exclusively for performance, while the "loftier" term drama, is commonly reserved for works that are considered to be more serious
works.
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