List of narrative forms

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.

Narrative forms include:

This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• 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

Citations

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.