List of narrative forms

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Narrative forms have been subject to classification by literary theorists, in particular during the 1950s, a period
which has been described metaphorically as the Linnaean period in the study of narrative.[1]
Narrative forms include:
This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.ph
p?title=List_of_narrative_forms&action=edit).
first person
Captivity narrative the protagonist is captured and describes his experience with the other culture
Epic - is a long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroines
Epic poem a lengthy story of heroic exploits in the form of a poem
Fable a story that teaches a lesson, often using animal characters that behave like people
Fantasy a story about characters that may not be realistic and about events that could not really happen
Folk tale an old story that reveals the customs of a culture
Historical fiction stories about characters who might have lived in the past and about events that might
have really happened in history, with some made up details and events
Legend a story that is based on fact but often includes exaggerations about the hero e.g. the East
African legend of Fumo Liyongo in the coast of Kenya
Myth an ancient story often meant to explain the mysteries of life or nature
Nonlinear narrative where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events
featured
Novel - is a long narrative that is normally in prose, which describes fictional characters and events,
usually in the form of a sequential story.
Novella - is a written, fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.
Play a story that is told mostly through dialogue and is meant to be performed on stage
Quest narrative the characters must achieve a goal. This includes some illness narratives
Realistic fiction stories that portray characters and settings that could exist in real life, as well as events
that could happen in real life
Short story a brief story that usually focuses on one character and one event
Tall tale a humorous story that tells about impossible happenings, exaggerating the accomplishment of
the hero
News - an information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of
mouth to a third party or mass audience
Biography - a detailed description or account of someone's life
Autobiography - a detailed description or account of the storyteller's own life
Parable - A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive
lessons or principles

See also
Bibliography
Literary device
Narrative mode

References
Peterson, Shelley (2005). Writing Across the Curriculum: Because All Teachers Teach Writing. Portage &
Main Press,. p. 88. Retrieved 2009-10-01.

Citations
1. Stanzel, F. K. (1984). A theory of narrative. Cambridge University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-521-31063-5.

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Categories: Narrative forms Literature lists Literature stubs Sociology stubs
This page was last modified on 26 May 2016, at 18:54.
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