Literature and its different Genres (Mr. Ram Bahadur Rokaya - Department of English)

Literature and its different Genres 

Mr. Ram Bahadur Rokaya 

Department of English

1. Literature and its different Genres

A. What is literature?

Literature springs from our inborn love of telling a story, of arranging words in pleasing patterns, of expressing in words some special aspects of our human experiences. It is usually set down in printed characters for us to read, though some forms of it are performed on certain social occasions. There are a number of different branches such as drama, Poetry, the Novel, and short stories; all these are works of the imagination or the capacity for invention. The primary aim of literature is to give pleasure, to entertain those who voluntarily attend to it. There are, of course, many different ways of giving pleasure or entertainment, ranging from the most trivial and sensational to the most philosophical and profound. It is important to notice that the writer of literature is not tied to fact in quite the same way as the historian, the economist or the scientist, whose studies are absolutely based on what has actually happened, or on what actually does happen, in the world of reality.

B. Why is Literature important?

We soon discover, however, that the literature which entertains us best does keep us for long in the other world of fantasy or unreality. The greatest pleasure and satisfaction to be found in literature occurs where it brings us back to the realities of human situations, problems, feelings and relationships. The writer of literature, being less tied to fact than the historian or the scientist, have more scope to comment on the facts, to arrange them in unusual ways, and to speculate not only what is, but on what ought to be, or what might be. Writers are sometimes, therefore, people with visionary or prophetic insights into human life. In fact, with only a moderate amount of world history, we can easily acknowledge the vital part played in human affairs by writers. And all of us who read works of literature will find our knowledge of human affairs broadened and deepened, whether in the individual, the racial or the international sphere; we shall understand the possibilities of human life, both for good and evil; we shall understand   how we came to live at a particular time and place, with all its pleasure and vexations and problems; we shall understand the ways onwards which are open to us, and we shall perhaps be able to make right rather than wrong choices.

C.  Value of English literature in education

There is another value of an important kind which arises during the course of our education. Let us not underestimate the element of pleasure and enjoyment which comes from the reading of literature; this is surely in itself one of the great benefits which comes from being an educated person. But, over and above that, let us recognize that certain other fundamental skills and capacities are developed through the reading literature, which are important to us all as educated people, not only in our private pleasure or our personal philosophies, but in the day-to-day exercise of the responsibilities which comes to us in the modern world as a result of the educational qualifications we obtain.

D. Different forms/types of poetry in English literature.

1.The Epic: - It is a heroic poem of lofty style involving great issues and glorifying the hero through his mankind.

2.The Lyric: - It is a poem expressing direct personal feelings and emotions. In a lyric, the poet is preoccupied with his own personal emotions. It is unlimited in its range and variety.

3. The Elegy: - It is a poem or song of sorrow, mournful song, especially for the dead. It is a formal and sustained poem of lament for the death of a particular person which expresses the grief of death.

4. The Ballad: - It is a simple song or poem especially the one that tells a traditional story. It often tells a tragic story which is generally transmitted orally.

5. The Ode: - It is a lyrical poem which expresses noble sentiments in celebration of some special events. It also expresses some intense and sublime emotions.

-6. The Sonnet: - It is a short self-contained poem of 14 Iambic pentameter lines with a definite rhyme scheme. It expresses one single feeling in a compact manner.

E. Different types/forms of drama in English literature.

1. Tragedy: - Tragedy is a literary work, usually a play which expresses the unhappy or serious aspects of life. It ends in misfortune caused by evil force or etc. for example William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth.'

2. Farce: - It's a type of comedy that is written to provide simple and hearty laughter to the audience. For example, William Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor.'

3. Comedy: - It's a drama with a happy ending. The actions turn out happily for the main or chief characters. The plot framework is light hearted and the audience laughs rather than cries at life's circumstances.

4. Romantic Comedy: - It is a type of comedy that concerns love affairs. It combines the elements of romance and comedy. It focuses on love stories often ending happily. The main plot usually revolves around two people who fall in love. For example, Nora Ephron's 'When Harry Met Sally.... (1989)

5.  Satiric Comedy: - It attacks the disorders of society by making people laugh at the people who break the law or social etiquette / manners in the society. For example, Ben Johnson's 'The Alchemist.'

6. Comedy of manners: - This drama deals with the relations, curiosity of gentlemen and ladies living in a civilized society. For example, Congreve's 'The Way of the World.'

7.  Tragicomedy: - It is a type of drama which mingles/combines the elements of both tragedy and comedy. For example, William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice'

8. Melodrama: - It is a type of drama which deals with exciting or sensational work, usually with a happy ending. It is essentially not serious.

9.  Drama: -  It is a drama which attacks on social injustice of the modern existence that is the mixture of the comic and sad. Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' is the best example of this type of drama. 

E. Characteristics of story in English Literature.

 A short story is a work of prose fiction.  It is a recent development in English Literature.  Both story and novel share common aspects in analyzing parts, types and narrative techniques.  A short story is shorter than the novel in its magnitude. A short story cannot exhibit life in its variety and complexity.  In a short story, we meet people for a few minutes and see them in only limited relationships and circumstances.  The plot, character and setting in a short story cannot be described in detail as in the novel.

F. Characteristics of Novels in English Literature.

 A novel is a relatively long fiction prose narrative with a complex plot or pattern of events.  It is the principal literary form in English literature.  It elaborates a complex plot or patterns of events about human beings, their feelings, their thoughts and actions.  A novel has, in fact, taken the place of a modern epic of the past, therefore it is also known as a modern epic.  A novel is comparatively longer than the story in its magnitude.  A novel in English literature is a sustained story which may or may not be true like scientific facts.  A novel contains the vision or philosophy towards human life.

G. Characteristics of drama in English Literature.

Drama is one of the most ancient branches of literary arts. In the modern sense, a drama may be 'a stage or TV Play' or a film. It is the literary art designed for the theatre where actors take the roles of the characters, perform the indicated action, and utter(speak) the written dialogue. A drama is intended to be performed in public. It is not complete until it is staged. A drama must deliver the whole of its message within a limited boundary of time and space. A drama is performed considering the time, place, character, background, setting and every minute detail. A drama is written considering the short period of time so brevity is the first law of the drama. It is entirely objective.

H. Differences between story, Novel and drama in English literature

A story/ novel is a modern epic whereas the drama is one of the most ancient branches of literary arts. A novel/story is written to be read so it is pocket theatre which is self-contained and complete in itself. On the other hand, the drama is intended to be staged. Drama is not complete unless the actor, the author and the audience meet on the stage. It has certain conventions and limitations which the Play Wright cannot ignore. A novelist/story writer has freedom of description, whereas, a dramatist/playwright has to consider time, place, character, background, setting and every minute detail that is compulsory while the drama is performed on the stage. Restriction of content and time factor is the first law of the drama but there is no restriction as to a novel/story's length. Live performance of the characters is really a fundamental and lasting element in the dramatic work but a novel/story need not be restricted to this aspect. A drama is entirely objective but a story/novel is a subjective or personal impression of life.