Narrative Genres and Literary Structures

Narrative is usually presented in prose. Within this category, we find several distinct prose narrative subgenres:

Prose Narrative Subgenres

• The Story: A short story featuring few characters and a unique, complex plot. Its extension is less than that of a novel. Between the story and the novel, there is a hybrid subgenre known as the short novel (novella). Historically, these accounts were passed from generation to generation through oral tradition and usually concluded with a didactic purpose. Since the 19th century, some authors have written short stories with an artistic purpose intended for an adult audience.
• The Novel: This genre is characterized by greater extension and complexity than the short story. It offers freedom of form without romantic limits. There are numerous subgenres, including the historical novel and the romance novel. The novel is currently the main literary subgenre.
• The Fable: One of the most ancient and widely diffused narrative genres. These are short narrations in verse or prose featuring stereotypical characters. They typically begin or end with a moral.
• The Epic (Epopeya): The oldest narrative genre, stemming from the great heroic stories of Antiquity, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Written in verse and intended for song or recitation, the themes reflect the interests of the societies from which they emerge. The epic hero is a noble character whose defining features are courage and fighting ability, as seen in the Cantar de Mio Cid.

The Structure of Narrative Action

Action refers to the history that unfolds before our eyes as we read a novel. In a novel, several actions usually occur at the same time. The internal structure of the action typically corresponds to the following order:

• Approach: The presentation of the characters and the setting where the action will develop.
• Node: The stage where the situation begins to evolve.
• Outcome: The resolution of the conflict and the end of the events.

Modern Narrative Renewals

Following the renewal of the novel in the mid-twentieth century, it is common for these structures to be altered:

• In Medias Res: This indicates that the story begins in the middle of the action, in full development, without first introducing the characters.
• Reverse Structure: The author reveals the outcome of the novel in the first pages and then dedicates the rest of the book to explaining how events evolved until that final point.
• Open End: The story concludes without the conflict being fully resolved.

Narrative Time and Techniques

The development of a narrative usually evolves through time. It does not have to be presented in a linear manner; the author can alter the logical order freely. This technique of altering the logical order is called anachronistic narrative timing, and it utilizes two main resources:

• Flashback: A jump back in time to previous events in the history.
• Prolepsis (Flash-forward): A leap forward into future events.