Classification of Literary Genres and Subgenres

Major Literary Genres

Literary genres represent different possibilities for the author to present their work, depending on the author's attitude towards the subject matter.

The Lyric Genre

The lyric poet expresses their inner self, presenting the reader with intimate personal experiences, their perception of their surroundings, and ultimately, their own vision of the world. Verse is often used, but poetic prose can also be employed.

The Dramatic (Theatrical) Genre

The author sets the scene for characters, embodied by actors, who talk to each other to develop the action. Stage directions (didaskalia) are displayed within parentheses, usually at the beginning of the work and in certain parts of the representation. Dramatic works can be written in prose or verse.

The Narrative (Epic) Genre

Writers use this genre to tell us, often with broad scope, the history of one or more characters that occurred in specific locations. Description also appears; the author uses it to characterize the characters and settings. Prose is also used, but there have been cases of epic stories in verse.

The Didactic Genre

The author expects the reader to draw a lesson. After presenting some characters (often animals) and a particular action, we are presented with an ending that attempts to draw a moral lesson.

Literary Subgenres

Lyric Subgenres

• The Elegy

  Manifests feelings of grief over a death or misfortune. Example: Verses on the Death of His Father (Jorge Manrique).

• The Ode

  Expresses feelings of melancholy, sadness, anger, or despair related to something happening inside or outside the poet. Example: Fernando de Herrera.

• The Eclogue

  Exposes feelings of love that the poet puts into the mouth of shepherds in a bucolic setting. Example: Garcilaso de la Vega.

• The Satire

  Censures defects in a burlesque manner, sometimes with a moralizing purpose. Example: Francisco de Quevedo.

• The Nuptial

  Expresses joy and good wishes on the celebration of a wedding. Example: Leandro Fernández de Moratín.

Dramatic Subgenres

Major Dramatic Forms

• The Tragedy

  Stages characters who are victims of great passions which they cannot overcome, usually ending with the protagonist's death. Example: Sophocles' works.

• The Drama

  Presents conflicts between characters, but less intense than the tragedy; it may also contain comic elements. Example: José Zorrilla's works.

• The Comedy

  Presents situations where serious conflicts are mixed with fun and silly situations. Example: Miguel Mihura's works.

Note: In the Golden Age, two specific forms emerged: the domestic tragicomedy and the comedy.

Specific Dramatic Forms

• The Auto Sacramental

  A work featuring allegorical characters, focusing its arguments on the Holy Eucharist.

• The Interlude (Entremés)

  A short piece of a comic nature featuring popular characters, typically represented during the intervals of longer comedies in the 16th and 17th centuries.

• The Farce

  A comic short piece that can be represented separately, often containing a social critique.

Narrative Subgenres in Verse (Epic)

• The Epic

  Narrates a significant event in the history of a people. There are few works that can truly be called epics. Example: Homer's works.

• The Epic Poem

  Recounts the deeds of famous medieval heroes. Example: Song of Mio Cid.

• The Romance (Ballad)

  Tells folk stories, beginning to be sung in Spain after the Middle Ages. Example: Lope de Vega's works.

Narrative Subgenres in Prose

• The Short Story

  A narrative with an invented and often witty plot, always short and in prose. Example: Clarín's works.

• The Novel

  A longer and more complex story than the short story. The author presents characters who live and face different situations. Subtypes include chivalry, picaresque, historical, etc.

Didactic Subgenres

• The Fable

  A short story, in verse or prose, whose protagonists transmit a useful or moral teaching, reflected in the concluding moral. Example: Félix María de Samaniego.

• The Epistle

  A letter written to teach or discuss a specific case; the letter format is often a mere pretext.

• The Essay

  A composition in which the author presents or argues on political, philosophical, religious, or other topics. It borders between didacticism and philosophy and is often cultivated by intellectual authors. Example: José Ortega y Gasset.