Literary Style
Syntagmatic Structure
Syntagmatic structure refers to the mode of time awareness that
the surface structure (syntax) of narrative discourse places listeners in.
 Simple Narrative
A simple narrative is a story that is historically and
culturally grounded and shaped by human personality. It organizes a particular
stretch of time into a conscious experience.
Epic Narrative
Epic narratives are extended stories about the lives of heroic
or mythological figures. They create a cyclical state of recurrence. See
Monomyth.
Lyrical Narrative
Lyrical narratives are stories conveyed in verses that are to
be accompanied by music. The discourse uses elements of metre and symmetry and
a relatively short time period.
Literary Genres
The development of written narrative has produced several
distinct fashions, or literary styles, of narrative discourse. Some common
styles are:
An Autobiographical Novel is
the fictionalized story of an author's life as seen by the author.
An Epistolary Novel is a
story presented as an exchange of letters between characters.
A Historical Novel is a
story set within the context of historical events. Protagonists may be
fictional or historical personages, or a combination.
Hysterical Realism is a
literary genre characterized by chronic length, manic characters, madding
action, and frequent digressions on topics secondary to the story.
Magic Realism is a form of
story that realistically describes events set in a magical haze of strange
local customs and beliefs. Gabriel García Márquez is a master of
this style.
A Pastiche is a literary
form that openly imitates previous works of another artist, often with
satirical intent.
A Picaresque Novel is an
episodic narrative of the adventures of a rogue on the road. Tom Jones is a
classic example.
Roman à clef is a
story that describes real-life events behind a fictional facade.
Satire is a literary style
that attacks human weakness through irony, derision, or wit.
Stream of Consciousness is a
narrative style that reveals a character's inner thought processes. |
What is Narrative ?