Historically established type of literary work. What is a literary genre - what genres of works are there?

The concept of genre. Principles of genre classification

Literary genres (French genre - genus, type) are types of works that have developed in the process of development of artistic literature. Obviously, the problem of genre in its most general form can be formulated as a problem of classifying works, identifying common - genre - features in them. The main difficulties of classification are related to the historical changes in literature and the evolution of genres.

The number and nature of genre features (the volume of a genre) is a variable quantity in the history of literature, which is reflected in the variety of successive genre theories, as well as the prevailing ideas about genres in writing and reading practice. So, for tragedy in realistic drama of the 19th-20th centuries. Many signs of a classic tragedy are not necessary. In the era of realism, a tragedy is considered to be any dramatic work that reveals a tragic conflict and expresses corresponding pathos. Thus, we can talk about a decrease in the genre volume of tragedy from classicism to realism.

Most genres arose in ancient times. Evolving into lit. process, they nevertheless retain some stable substantive and formal features that allow us to talk about a genre tradition. The genre designations themselves, often included in the text of the work, in its title (“Eugene Onegin. A Novel in Verse”), are signs of literature. traditions; they evoke a certain genre expectation in the reader.

When studying genres, one should distinguish between their most stable and transient features. Within the framework of the theoretical and literary course, the main attention is paid to the characteristics of the most stable genre features. However, it is important to remember that lit. In the process, genre always appears as an element of a genre system, the principles of which depend on the specific historical characteristics of artistic thinking. Thus, in ancient literatures, the development of authorial self-awareness was slow, determined by the stability of traditions and the general pace of national life. Therefore, the genre systems of ancient literatures, distinguished by their complexity and ramifications, are characterized by greater stability compared to the literature of modern times.

True liberation from cruel genre regulations became possible only with the development of realism; it was associated with overcoming subjective one-sidedness in creativity itself. And in realistic literature, which correlates the development of characters with circumstances in their historical concreteness, following the tradition of genres could be carried out much more freely, which generally led to a decrease in their volumes. In all European literature of the 19th century. There is a sharp restructuring of the genre system. Genres began to be perceived as aesthetically equivalent types of works that were open to creative exploration. This approach to genres is typical of our time.

Basic principles of genre classification of literary works. Genre features that have the most stable, historically repeatable character are the basis for the literary classification of works. Traditional genre designations are mainly used as literary terms - fable, ballad, poem, etc. - which spontaneously arose in literature and acquired a wide range of associations in the process of genre evolution.

The most important genre feature of a work is its belonging to one or another literary genre: epic, dramatic, lyrical, lyric-epic genres are distinguished. Within genera, there are different types - stable formal, compositional and stylistic structures, which it is advisable to call generic forms. They are differentiated depending on the organization of speech in the work - poetic or prose, and on the volume of the text. In addition, the basis for identifying generic forms in the epic can be the principles of plot composition, in poetic lyricism - solid strophic forms (sonnet, rondo, triolet), in drama - some or other relation to the theater (drama for reading, for puppet theater), etc. . P.

Epic genres. Due to the breadth and versatility of the depiction of characters in epic works, in comparison with drama and lyric poetry, their genre issues are especially clear and vivid. It reveals itself in a variety of generic forms. Thus, a song, a fairy tale, and a story can be national-historical in their problematics.

In the classification of generic forms, differences in the volume of texts of works are important. Along with the small (story) and medium (story) prose forms, there is a large epic form, which is often called novels. The volume of the text of a work in an epic is determined by the completeness of the recreation of characters and relationships, and hence by the scale of the plot. Unlike a story, a story is not characterized by an extensive system of characters, there is no complex evolution of characters and detailed individualization.

Heroic folk song.

Novels, short stories (short stories, essays)

Satirical, everyday tales, fables

Dramatic genres. With their characteristic short performance time on stage and the resulting unity and concentration of the conflict, they create fertile ground for the expression of certain types of pathos in the actions and experiences of the characters. Therefore, the division of drama into genres is associated with the pathos of the play. But pathos comes from conflict.

An additional substantive criterion for division in drama is the peculiarities of genre issues.

1) Tragedy - a conflict between personal aspirations and super-personal “laws” of life occurs in the minds of the main character (heroes) and the entire plot of the play is created to develop and resolve this conflict. The hero of the tragedy is in a state of conflict not only with other characters, he struggles primarily with himself. The tragedy ends with the death of the usual hero, although, as Belinsky wrote, “The essence of the tragic is not in the bloody ending.”

A) moral descriptive - in the tragedies of Aeschylus and Sophocles, the characters act as bearers of certain moral and civil norms, reflect the clashes of old and new, more humane, moral norms.

B) national-historical (“Persians” by Aeschylus, “Boris Godunov” by Pushkin)

2) Drama is the most diverse in subject matter, characterized by a wide range of life conflicts depicted. The pathos of drama is generated by the characters’ clashes with the forces of life that oppose them from the outside. However, conflict in drama can also be very serious and acute and can lead to suffering and sometimes even death of the hero.

A) national-historical conflict (“Voevoda” by Ostrovsky, “Enemies” by Gorky)

B) socially everyday (romantic) (“The Merchant of Venice” by Shakespeare, “Vassa Zheleznova” by Gorky).

3) Comedy - a play filled with humorous or satirical pathos. Such pathos is generated by the comic contradictions of the characters being recreated. The comedy of the characters is revealed through plot conflicts, often based on chance. At the same time, the characters themselves do not change due to the course of events. There is no character development in comedy. The depiction of the internal inconsistency, absurdity, inferiority of comic characters, their satirical or humorous negation - this is the main ideological orientation of comedy.

Lyrical genres. The originality of the lyrics is that it brings to the fore the inner world of the lyrical hero, his experiences. This is clearly visible not only in works in which there are no visual images of the outside world, but also in descriptive, narrative lyrics, here the experience is conveyed through the emotional expression of speech, the nature of tropes, etc. Therefore, the basis of the meaningful genre division in the lyrics is the character itself experiences. But experience in lyrics can be subjects of typology in a different way. As in epic and drama, in lyric poetry one can trace differences in genre issues - national-historical, moral-descriptive, romantic, which are manifested here through the typification of the very experience of the lyrical hero.

The genres of literary lyrics were formed on the basis of folk lyrical song, in its various varieties.

1) Ode is a poem expressing the enthusiastic feelings that some significant object arouses in the poet. In the ode, the poet connects primarily with collective feelings - patriotic, civil. Genre issues in an ode can be national-historical or morally descriptive.

2) Satire is a poem expressing indignation, the poet’s indignation at the negative aspects of society. Satire is morally descriptive in terms of genre issues; the poet in it is like the mouthpiece of the advanced part of society, concerned about its negative state.

3) Elegy is a poem filled with sadness and dissatisfaction with life. Sadness can be caused by some reason (“Sorrowful Elegies” by Ovid). But an elegy is possible in which the recreated experience does not have a specific motivation (“I experienced my desires...” by Pushkin).

4) Epigram, epitaph, madrigal - small forms of lyric poetry. In the history of literature, the broad (ancient Greek) and narrow (later) meanings of the epigram are known. The ancient Greek epigram (literally “inscription”) originates from inscriptions on religious objects. A type of epigram was an epitaph - an inscription on a tombstone. The content and emotional tone of the ancient Greek epigrams were different. The originality of thought and the laconicism of its expression are what have always been valued in the epigram. The second, narrow meaning of the epigram, which has been attached to it since the 1st century AD, is a short humorous or satirical poem, most often ridiculing a certain person. The antipode of an epigram (in the higher meaning of the word) is a madrigal - a short, half-joking poem of a complimentary nature (usually addressed to a lady).

Lyric-epic genres. The combination of lyrical meditation and epic narrative is often found in works of different genres (for example, in a romantic poem). But there are genres whose nature is always lyrical and epic.

1) Fable is a morally descriptive genre that contains a short allegorical narrative and a lesson (“moral”) arising from it. Even if the teaching is not “Formulated” in the text of the fable, it is implied; The relationship between the teaching and the plot of the fable constitutes its lyrical-epic basis.

2) A ballad is a small poetic work of plot in which the narrative itself is permeated with lyricism. Unlike a fable, where it is possible to distinguish lyrical (“moral”) and epic (plot) parts, a ballad represents an indissoluble fusion of lyrical and epic principles. Genre issues in a ballad can be national-historical and romantic.

Art style used in fiction. It affects the imagination and feelings of the reader, conveys the thoughts and feelings of the author, uses all the wealth of vocabulary, the possibilities of different styles, and is characterized by imagery and emotionality of speech.

The emotionality of an artistic style differs from the emotionality of colloquial and journalistic styles. The emotionality of artistic speech performs an aesthetic function. Artistic style presupposes a preliminary selection of linguistic means; All language means are used to create images.

Genre as a concept appeared a long time ago, back in the ancient world. At the same time, a typology of genres appeared. Today, text typologies are more strict and have clear boundaries. Moreover, they are used in all spheres of life - in government activities, in professional fields, theater, medicine and even everyday life.

Genres in fiction are a particularly complex issue. As you know, all literary works, depending on the nature of what is depicted, belong to one of three genres: epic, lyric or drama. A literary genre is a generalized name for a group of works depending on the nature of the reflection of reality.

EPOS(from the Greek “narration”) is a generalized name for works depicting events external to the author.

LYRICS(from the Greek “performed to the lyre”) is a generalized name for works in which there is no plot, but the feelings, thoughts, experiences of the author or his lyrical hero are depicted.

DRAMA(from the Greek “action”) - a generalized name for works intended for production on stage; The drama is dominated by character dialogues, and the author's input is kept to a minimum.

Varieties of epic, lyrical and dramatic works are called types of literary works .

Type and genre - concepts in literary criticism very close .

Genres are called variations of a type of literary work. For example, a genre variety of a story can be a fantasy or historical story, and a genre variety of a comedy can be vaudeville, etc. Strictly speaking, a literary genre is a historically established type of artistic work that contains certain structural features and aesthetic quality characteristic of a given group of works.

TYPES (GENRES) OF EPIC WORKS:

epic, novel, tale, story, fairy tale, fable, legend.

EPIC- a major work of fiction telling about significant historical events. In ancient times - a narrative poem of heroic content. In the literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, the genre of the epic novel appeared - this is a work in which the formation of the characters of the main characters occurs during their participation in historical events.

NOVEL- a large narrative work of art with a complex plot, in the center of which is the fate of the individual.

STORY- a work of fiction that occupies a middle position between a novel and a short story in terms of volume and complexity of the plot. In ancient times, any narrative work was called a story.

STORY- a work of art of small size, based on an episode, an incident from the life of the hero.

FAIRY TALE- a work about fictional events and characters, usually involving magical, fantastic forces.

FABLE(from “bayat” - to tell) is a narrative work in poetic form, small in size, of a moralizing or satirical nature.

TYPES (GENRES) OF LYRIC WORKS:

ode, hymn, song, elegy, sonnet, epigram, message.

OH YEAH(from Greek “song”) – a choral, solemn song.

HYMN(from Greek “praise”) is a solemn song based on programmatic verses.

EPIGRAM(from Greek “inscription”) is a short satirical poem of a mocking nature that arose in the 3rd century BC. e.

ELEGY- a genre of lyrics dedicated to sad thoughts or a lyric poem imbued with sadness. Belinsky called elegy “a song of sad content.” The word "elegy" is translated as "reed flute" or "plaintive song." Elegy originated in Ancient Greece in the 7th century BC. e.

MESSAGE– a poetic letter, an appeal to a specific person, a request, a wish, a confession.

SONNET(from the Provencal sonette - “song”) is a poem of 14 lines, which has a certain rhyme system and strict stylistic laws. The sonnet originated in Italy in the 13th century (the creator was the poet Jacopo da Lentini), in England it appeared in the first half of the 16th century (G. Sarri), and in Russia in the 18th century. The main types of sonnet are Italian (from 2 quatrains and 2 tercets) and English (from 3 quatrains and a final couplet).

LYROEPIC TYPES (GENRES):

poem, ballad.

POEM(from Greek poieio - “I do, I create”) is a large poetic work with a narrative or lyrical plot, usually on a historical or legendary theme.

BALLAD- a plot song with dramatic content, a story in verse.

TYPES (GENRES) OF DRAMATIC WORKS:

tragedy, comedy, drama (in the narrow sense).

TRAGEDY(from Greek tragos ode - “goat song”) is a dramatic work depicting an intense struggle of strong characters and passions, which usually ends in the death of the hero.

COMEDY(from Greek komos ode - “cheerful song”) - a dramatic work with a cheerful, funny plot, usually ridiculing social or everyday vices.

DRAMA(“action”) is a literary work in the form of a dialogue with a serious plot, depicting an individual in his dramatic relationship with society. Varieties of drama can be tragicomedy or melodrama.

VAUDEVILLE- a genre variety of comedy, this is a light comedy with singing couplets and dancing.

FARCE- a genre variety of comedy, it is a theatrical play of a light, playful nature with external comic effects, designed for rough tastes.

Historically, three types of literature have developed in literature: epic, dramatic and lyrical. These are groups of genres that have similar structural features. If the epic in the story fixes the external reality (events, facts, etc.), then the drama does the same in the format of a conversation, not on behalf of the author, and the lyrics describe the inner reality of a person. Of course, the division is arbitrary and to a certain extent artificial, but, nevertheless, our acquaintance with the book begins with the fact that we see the genre, gender or combination thereof on the cover and draw the first conclusions. For example, a person only likes to watch plays in the theater, which means that he does not need a volume of Moliere and will pass by it without wasting time. Knowledge of the basic principles of literary criticism also helps during reading, when you want to understand the author, penetrate into his creative laboratory, and unravel why his plan was embodied this way and not otherwise.

Each genre has an example and theoretical justification, the most concise and simple.

The novel is a large form of the epic genre, a work with expanded themes and many themes. Typically, a classic novel depicts people participating in various life processes that give rise to external and internal conflicts. Events in the novel are not always described sequentially, for example, Lermontov in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” deliberately breaks the sequence.

By thematic basis novels are divided into autobiographical (Chudakov's "Darkness Falls on the Old Steps"), philosophical (Dostoevsky's "Demons"), adventure (Dafoe's "Robinson Crusoe"), fantastic (Glukhovsky's "Metro 2033"), satirical (Rotterdam's "In Praise of Stupidity"), historical (Pikul “I Have the Honor”), adventurous (Merezhko “Sonka the Golden Hand”), etc.

According to the structure of novels are divided into a novel in verse (Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin"), a novel-pamphlet (Swift's "Gulliver's Travels"), a novel-parable (Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea"), a novel-feuilleton ("The Countess of Salisbury" by Dumas), an epistolary novel ( Rousseau “Julia or the new Heloise”) and others.

An epic novel is a novel with a panoramic depiction of the life of the people at turning points in history (Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”).

The story is an epic work of average size (between a short story and a novel), in which the narrative of a particular event is presented in a natural sequence (Kuprin’s “The Pit”). How is a story different from a novel? At least in that the material of the story is presented chronically, and not for the sake of the action-packed composition of the novel. In addition, the story does not pose problems of a global historical nature. In the story, the author is more constrained, all his inventions are subordinated to the main action, but in the novel the writer is carried away by memories, digressions and analysis of the characters.

The story is small epic prose form. The work has a limited number of characters, one problem and one event (Turgenev “Mumu”). How is a novella different from a short story? The boundaries between these two genres are very arbitrary, but in the short story the ending most often develops unpredictably (O'Henry's "The Gift of the Magi").

Essay is small epic prose form (many classify it as a type of story). The essay usually touches on social issues and tends to be descriptive.

The parable is moral teaching in allegorical form. How is a parable different from a fable? A parable draws its material primarily from life, while a fable is based on fictitious, sometimes fantastic plots (gospel parables).

Lyrical genres are...

A lyric poem is a small genre form of lyrics written on behalf of the author (Pushkin “I loved you”) or on behalf of the lyrical hero (Tvardovsky “I was killed near Rzhev”).

Elegy is a small lyrical form, a poem that is imbued with a mood of sadness and melancholy. Sad thoughts, sorrow, sad reflections make up the repertoire of elegies (Pushkin’s elegy “On the rocks, on the hills”).

The message is poetic letter. According to the content of the messages, they can be divided into friendly, satirical, lyrical, etc. They can be dedicated to either one person or a group of people (Voltaire’s “Message to Frederick”).

Epigram is a poem that makes fun of a specific person (from friendly ridicule to sarcasm) (Gaft “Epigram on Oleg Dahl”). Features: wit and brevity.

Ode is a poem distinguished by its solemn tone and sublime content (Lomonosov “Ode on the day of Elizabeth Petrovna’s accession to the throne, 1747”).

A sonnet is a poem of 14 verses (“Twenty Sonnets to Sasha Zapoeva” by Timur Kibirov). The sonnet is one of the strict forms. A sonnet usually consists of 14 lines, forming 2 quatrains (with 2 rhymes) and 2 tercets (with 2 or 3 rhymes).

The poem is the average lyric-epic form, in which there is a detailed plot and several experiences are embodied, that is, attention to the inner world of the lyrical hero (Lermontov’s “Mtsyri”).

Ballad is average lyric-epic form, story in verse. Often a ballad has a tense storyline (Zhukovsky’s “Lyudmila”).

Dramatic genres are...

Comedy is a type of drama in which the content is presented in a funny way, and the characters and circumstances are comical. What types of comedies are there? Lyrical (“The Cherry Orchard” by Chekhov), high (“Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov), satirical (“The Inspector General” by Gogol).

Tragedy is a type of drama based on an acute life conflict that entails the suffering and death of the heroes (Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”).

Drama is a play with an acute conflict that is ordinary, not so sublime and resolvable (for example, Gorky “At the Depths”). How does it differ from tragedy or comedy? Firstly, the material used is modern, not from antiquity, and secondly, a new hero appears in the drama, rebelling against circumstances.

Tragifars - a dramatic work that combines tragic and comic elements (Ionesco, “The Bald Singer”). This is a postmodern genre that has appeared relatively recently.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. The question of genre as a variety of a particular sphere of art is quite complex. This term is found in music, painting, architecture, theater, cinema, and literature.

Determining the genre of a work is a task that not every student can cope with. Why is genre division necessary at all? Where are the boundaries separating a novel from a poem, and a short story from a story? Let's try to figure it out together.

Genre in literature - what is it?

The word "genre" comes from the Latin genus ( species, genus). Literary reference books report that:

A genre is a historically established variety of literary works, united by a certain set of formal and substantive features.

From the definition it is clear that in the process of genre evolution it is important to highlight three points:

1. each genre of literature is formed over a long period of time (each of them has its own history);
2. the main reason for its appearance is the need to express new ideas in an original way (substantive criterion);
3. distinguish one type of work is distinguished from another by external features: volume, plot, structure, composition (formal criterion).

All genres of literature can be represented this way:

These are three typology options that help classify a work into a particular genre.

The history of the emergence of literary genres in Rus'

The literature of European countries was formed according to the principle of movement from the general to the particular, from the anonymous to the author. Artistic creativity both abroad and in Russia was nourished by two sources:

1. spiritual culture, the center of which was monasteries;
2. in folk speech.

If you look closely at the history of literature in Ancient Rus', you will notice how chronicles, patericons, lives of saints and patristic works are gradually being replaced by new forms of storytelling.

At the turn of the XIV-XV centuries such genres of ancient Russian literature, as a word, walking (the ancestor of the travel novel), (everyday “splinter” of a moral parable), heroic poem, spiritual verse. Based on the material of oral traditions, it stood out separately during the period of the collapse of the ancient myth into a fairy-tale epic and a realistic military story.

By interacting with foreign written traditions, Russian literature is enriched new genre forms: a novel, a secular philosophical story, an author's fairy tale, and in the era of romanticism - a poem, a lyric poem, a ballad.

The realistic canon brings to life a problematic novel, story, story. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, genres with blurred boundaries became popular again: essay (), essay, short poem, symbolist. Old forms are filled with original meaning, transform into each other, and destroy given standards.

Dramatic art has a powerful influence on the formation of the genre system. Setting for theatricality changes the appearance of such genres familiar to the average reader as a poem, a story, a short story, and even a small lyric poem (in the era of the “sixties” poets).

In modern literature, the genre canon remains open. There is a prospect of interaction not only within individual genres, but also within various types of art. Every year a new genre appears in literature.

Literature by genus and species

The most popular classification breaks down works “by type” (all of its components are shown in the third column in the figure shown at the beginning of this publication).

To understand this genre classification, you need to remember that literature, like music, is worth on “three pillars”. These whales, called genera, are in turn divided into species. For clarity, let's present this structure in the form of a diagram:

1. The oldest “whale” is considered epic. Its progenitor, who split into legend and tale.
2. appeared when humanity stepped beyond the stage of collective thinking and turned to the individual experiences of each member of the community. The nature of the lyrics is the author’s personal experience.
3. older than epic and lyric poetry. Its appearance is associated with the era of antiquity and the emergence of religious cults - mysteries. Drama became the art of the streets, a means of releasing collective energy and influencing masses of people.

Epic genres and examples of such works

The largest epic forms known to modern times are the epic and the epic novel. The ancestors of the epic can be considered a saga, widespread in the past among the peoples of Scandinavia, and a legend (for example, the Indian “The Tale of Gilgamesh”).

Epic is a multi-volume narrative about the fate of several generations of heroes in historically established circumstances and fixed by cultural tradition.

A rich socio-historical background is required against which the events of the characters’ private lives unfold. For an epic, such features as a multicomponent plot, connections between generations, and the presence of heroes and antiheroes are important.

Because it depicts large-scale events over the course of centuries, it rarely displays careful psychological detail, but the epics created in the last few centuries combine these attitudes with the achievements of modern art. “The Forsyte Saga” by J. Galsworthy not only describes the history of several generations of the Forsyte family, but also gives subtle, vivid images of individual characters.

Unlike the epic epic novel covers a shorter period of time (no more than a hundred years) and tells the story of 2-3 generations of heroes.

In Russia, this genre is represented by the novels “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy, “Quiet Don” by M.A. Sholokhov, “Walking through torment” by A.N. Tolstoy.

To medium forms Epic includes novel and story.

The term " novel" comes from the word "Roman" and is reminiscent of the ancient prose narrative that gave birth to this genre.

The Satyricon of Petronius is considered an example of an ancient novel. In medieval Europe, the picaresque novel became widespread. The era of sentimentalism gives the world a travel novel. Realists develop the genre and fill it with classical content.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the following appeared types of novels:

1. philosophical;
2. psychological;
3. social;
4. intellectual;
5. historical;
6. love;
7. detective;
8. adventure novel.

There are many novels in the school curriculum. Giving examples, name the books by I.A. Goncharov “Ordinary History”, “Oblomov”, “Cliff”, works by I.S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”, “Noble Nest”, “On the Eve”, “Smoke”, “New”. The genre of “Crime and Punishment”, “The Idiot”, “The Brothers Karamazov” by F. M. Dostoevsky is also a novel.

Tale does not affect the fate of generations, but has several storylines developing against the backdrop of one historical event.

"The Captain's Daughter" A. S. Pushkin and “The Overcoat” by N.V. Gogol. V.G. Belinsky spoke about the primacy of narrative literature in the culture of the 19th century.

Small epic forms(story, essay, short story, essay) have one plot line, a limited number of characters and are distinguished by a compressed volume.

Examples include stories by A. Gaidar or Y. Kazakov, short stories by E. Poe, essays by V.G. Korolenko or essay by W. Wulf. Let’s make a reservation: sometimes it “works” as a genre of scientific style or journalism, but has artistic imagery.

Lyrical genres

Large lyrical forms represented by a poem and a wreath of sonnets. The first is more plot-driven, which makes it similar to the epic. The second one is static. The wreath of sonnets, consisting of 15 14-verse lines, describes a topic and the author’s impressions of it.

In Russia, poems have a socio-historical character. “The Bronze Horseman” and “Poltava” by A.S. Pushkin, “Mtsyri” by M.Yu. Lermontov, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” N.A. Nekrasov, “Requiem” by A.A. Akhmatova - all these poems lyrically describe Russian life and national characters.

Small forms of lyrics are numerous. This is a poem, ode, canzone, sonnet, epitaph, fable, madrigal, rondo, triolet. Some forms originated in medieval Europe (the sonnet genre was especially loved by lyricists in Russia), some (for example, the ballad) became the legacy of the German romantics.

Traditionally small Poetic works are usually divided into 3 types:

1. philosophical lyrics;
2. love lyrics;
3. landscape lyrics.

Recently, urban lyrics have also emerged as a separate subtype.

Dramatic genres

Drama gives us three classic genres:

1. comedy;
2. tragedy;
3. actual drama.

All three types of performing arts originated in Ancient Greece.

Comedy was initially associated with religious cults of purification, mysteries, during which carnival action unfolded on the streets. The sacrificial goat “comos”, which was later called the “scapegoat”, walking through the streets along with the artists, symbolized all human vices. According to the canon, they are what comedy should make fun of.

Comedy is the genre of “Woe from Wit” by A.S. Griboyedov and “Nedoroslya” D.I. Fonvizina.

In the era of classicism, 2 types of comedy developed: comedy provisions and comedy characters. The first played with circumstances, passed off one hero as another, and had an unexpected ending. The second pitted the characters against each other in the face of an idea or task, generating a theatrical conflict on which the intrigue rested.

If during a comedy the playwright expected the healing laughter of the crowd, then tragedy I set out to bring tears to my eyes. It was bound to end with the death of the hero. Empathizing with the characters, the viewer or purification.

"Romeo and Juliet" and also "Hamlet" by W. Shakespeare were written in the tragedy genre.

Actually drama- This is a later invention of dramaturgy, removing therapeutic tasks and focusing on subtle psychologism, objectivity, and play.

Determining the genre of a literary work

How was the poem "Eugene Onegin" called a novel? Why did Gogol define the novel “Dead Souls” as a poem? And why is Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” a comedy? Genre designations are clues that remind you that in the world of art there are right directions, but, fortunately, there are no forever beaten paths.

Just above is a video that helps determine the genre of a particular literary work.

A genre in literature is a selection of texts that have a similar structure and are similar in content. There are quite a lot of them, but there is a division by type, form and content.

Classification of genres in literature.

Division by gender

With such a classification, one should consider the attitude of the author himself to the text of interest to the reader. He was the first to try to divide literary works into four genres, each with its own internal divisions:

• epic (novels, stories, epics, short stories, short stories, fairy tales, epics),
• lyrical (odes, elegies, messages, epigrams),
• dramatic (dramas, comedies, tragedies),
• lyric-epic (ballads, poems).

Division by content

Based on this principle of division, three groups emerged:

• Comedy,
• Tragedies
• Dramas.

The last two groups talk about a tragic fate, about the conflict in the work. And comedies should be divided into smaller subgroups: parody, farce, vaudeville, sitcom, sideshow.

Separation by shape

The group is diverse and numerous. There are thirteen genres in this group:

• epic
• epic,
• novel,
• story,
• novella,
• story,
• sketch,
• play,
• feature article,
• essay,
• opus,
• visions.

In prose there is no such clear division

It is not easy to immediately determine what genre a particular work is. How does the work you read affect the reader? What feelings does it evoke? Is the author present, does he introduce his personal experiences, is there a simple narrative without adding analysis of the events described. All these questions require specific answers in order to make a final verdict on whether the text belongs to a certain type of literary genre.

Genres tell their story

To begin to understand the genre diversity of literature, you should know the characteristics of each of them.

1. Form groups are perhaps the most interesting. A play is a work written specifically for the stage. A story is a prosaic narrative work of small volume. The novel is distinguished by its scale. A story is an intermediate genre, standing between a short story and a novel, which tells about the fate of one hero.
2. The content groups are small in number, so it is very easy to remember them. Comedy has a humorous and satirical character. Tragedies always end in unexpectedly unpleasant ways. The drama is based on the conflict between human life and society.
3. The typology of genres by genus contains only three structures:
   1. The epic tells about the past without expressing one’s personal opinion about what is happening.
   2. Lyrics always contain the feelings and experiences of the lyrical hero, that is, the author himself.
   3. The drama reveals its plot through the characters' communication with each other.