American Division Literature [ 16 ]

16- ] American Division Literature .

Chapter Three.

Fiction .

Fiction is an imaginative literary narrative that can be in the form of prose , poetry or drama . Most prose fiction falls into one of several types based primarily on length .

1-] Novel : The first English novel was Pamela [Virtue Rewarded ] by Samuel Richardson .

2-] Novelette : Shorter than the novel , sometimes called a short novel . It is more tightly structured . It generally consists of about  15.000 to 50.000 words.

3-] Short Story ; Ranges from 500 [ in the short story ] to 15.000 words . It is very tightly structured with a formal development .

4-] Anecdote : A narrative of a single episode [ an incident ] . Once referring simply to gossip , today anecdote refers to any episodic narrative .

A narrative plot might look like this :

Climax

[ The “ high point” when you know how conflict will be resolved ]

Dénouement

Complication                                          [ Resolution of conflict ]

[ Developing conflict ] 

                          

Exposition

[ Introduction of characters and setting ]

Genres .

1-] Picaresque :

Characteristics :  1-] Autobiographical – first person narrative . 2-] A rascal as the main character who does not change . 3-] Adventurous episodes . 4-] The main character lives by wits . 5-] Generally lacks formal structure . 6-] The main character is called a picaroon [ picaro ] . Ex. “ The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain / “ Jonathan Wild” by Henry fielding / “ Moll Flanders” by Daniel Defoe .

2-] Stream of Consciousness :

Characteristics :  1-] Major technique : interior monologue . 2-] Reports the nonverbalized flow of thoughts of the character [ s ] . 3-] Thoughts are erratic and illogical . 4-] Introspection . 5-] Focus : inner consciousness .

As you investigate the stream of consciousness novels , try to identify the influence of Freudian psychology [ school of psycho-analysis ] at work in the more modern examples . Examples of stream of consciousness are in the writings of James Joyce , Virginia Woolf and Laurence Sterne .

3-] Bildungs Romance :

Characteristics : 1-] German for “ novel of formation.” 2-] Once called “ apprenticeship novel .” 3-] Called “ Künstler roman”when the protagonist is an artist or writer . Ex. James Joyce’s “ Portrait of The Artist As a Young Man”  and Dicken’s “ Great Expectations .”

4-] Regional :

Characteristics :  Setting [ including regional dialogues ] has significant impact on character and on plot structure . Ex. Some of the works of William Faulkner fit this genre . Mark Twain and other writers combine the regional novel with other forms .

5-] Social :

Characteristics : 1-] Plot centers on social environment . 2-] Plot incorporates persuasive language. 3-] It calls for social reform . The Lost Generation during the decade after World War 1 ended , produced man social novelists .

Other Genres .

1-] Detective : also called crime stories , murder mysteries and “ who units”.

2-] The plot focuses on solving a crime , often murder . Ex. The works of the writers Charlock Holmes , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie .

2-] Psychological : 1-] The plot tells not only what happens , but also why it happens , concentrating on motivation .

3-] Problem : 1-] The plot centers on solving a problem . A-] Novels of sensibility :The plot focuses on emotion . B-] Character : The plot focuses on character . C-] Manners : The plot focuses on a social class . D-] Incident : The plot focuses on episodes . E-] The Soil : The plot focuses on rural regional struggle to survive .

4-] Sociological :  A type of problem novel that purports to have the solutions for specified problems in society .

5-] Propaganda :  The plot is subordinated to the role of a vehicle to put forth a particular doctrine .

6-] Western : Dime novels are set in the American West .

7-] Gothic :  The plot centers on ghostly castles , medieval settings and romantic knights bound by chivalry .

8- ] Epistolary : The plot is carried out through a series of letters between or among the characters .Ex . Claressa .

9-] Science Fiction :  The plot centers on science fantasy such as time machines , aliens or mutants [ G. H . Wells “ Time Machine .”

10-] Suspense :  also called “ edge-of-your-seat” stories . The plot keeps the reader in a somewhat sustained sense of suspense or anticipation . In serials in which there is a break in the plot between episodes , the reader or viewer may be left at a “ cliff-hanger” – a point at which the suspense level is high , thus encouraging the reader or viewer to continue the story to see what happens .  A famous television “ cliff-hanger” is the “Who Shot  j . R ?” episode in the American soap opera Dallas .

11-]Utopia : The plot depends upon a fictional perfect world . [ Contrasted with dystopia , in which the fictional world is far less than perfect as in Orwell’s 1984 ] .

As previously mentioned writers often blend elements [ including the structure , technique and subject matter ] of more than one genre to create the desired effects , and to fulfill their purposes .