Artist lit. Genres of fiction

Fiction(prose) - one of the types of art that differs from the rest only in the material from which works are created - these are only words and artistic language. The result of creativity in fiction is works reflecting eras that have a high artistic value and bringing aesthetic pleasure.

Old Russian literature has 2 sources - church books(Bible, lives of saints) and folklore. It existed from the introduction of writing in the Cyrillic alphabet (XI century) until the appearance of individual author's works (XVII century). Original works: “The Tale of Bygone Years” (a sample of chronicles), “The Tale of Law and Grace”, “Teachings for Children” (codes of laws), “The Tale of Igor’s Host” (the genre resembles a story, with a logical progression of events and authenticity, with artistic style).
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Petrine transformations were reflected not only in scientific and technical achievements Russia XVIII centuries, but also made a huge contribution to the development national culture and art. Or rather, they gave the latter a significant acceleration and radically changed the vector of development Russian art. Until the 18th century, the development of Russian culture took place separately, even in isolation, which led to the development of authentic trends and genres, closely related to the national and church trends. In European countries at the same time, literature finally separated from the church and became secular. It was precisely this secularism—the creative freedom and breadth of genres inherent in the European Age of Enlightenment—that was lacking in Rus'.

Russian literature throughout the 18th century developed under the influence European literature, lagging behind it by about 100 years and going through the following stages:

• beginning 18th century- panegyric, hagiographic literature,
• ser. 18th century- classicism, sentimentalism (Lomonosov, Karamzin, Radishchev),
• dated 18th century- the dominance of sentimentalism, preparation for romanticism.

« Golden age» Russian literature. Into Russian history literature of the 19th century century, many names have been written down that have received global recognition: A. Pushkin, N. Gogol, L. Tolstoy, A. Chekhov. During this period, the formation of the Russian literary language took place, such literary trends as sentimentalism, romanticism, critical realism, writers and poets are mastering new literary forms and techniques. Drama and the art of satire are reaching unprecedented heights.

The development of romanticism (until the 1840s) and realism (from the 1850s to the end of the century), from the 1890s the directions of the Silver Age developed. The most important functions of literature are considered critical, moral-formative, socio-political, and the most important genre is the novel. Romantics: Lermontov, Pushkin, realists: Gogol, Turgenev, Leo Tolstoy, Chekhov.

Russian literature of the 20th century is represented by three brightest periods: the era " silver age"with its contradictions and innovation, the military era, with its deep patriotism, and the huge period of the second half of the century when socialist realism flourished.

• In the beginning. XX century Romanticism is being revived to poetize revolutionary events.
• 30-40s of the XX century- active interference of the party in culture leads to the stratification of writers. Some in exile develop realistic genre, others create in socialist realism (a direction that depicts a working person on the path to communism).
• 40-50s of the mid-20th century- “trench”, lieutenant or military prose. A realistic depiction of the war of 1941-45, where the author is an eyewitness to the events.
• 60-80s of the XX century- the period of the “thaw”, the development of “village” prose.
• 90s years of the late 20th century- avant-garde, post-Soviet realism, inclination towards “chernukha” - deliberately exaggerated cruelty, uncensorship.

Foreign literature

Foreign literature originates in Greece during the period of antiquity and becomes the basis for all existing genera literature. Formed principles artistic creativity Aristotle.

With the advent of Christianity, church texts spread, all medieval literature of Europe (IV-XIII centuries) was a reworking of church texts, and the Renaissance (from the 14th century, Dante, Shakespeare, Rabelais) was their rethinking and repulsion from the church, the creation of secular literature.

Literature of the Enlightenment - eulogy human mind. Sentimentalism, romanticism (Rousseau, Diderot, Defoe, Swift).

20th century - modernism and postmodernism. Celebration of the psychic, sexual in man (Proust, Hemingway, Marquez).

Literary criticism

Criticism is an organic and inseparable part of everything literary art in general, and the critic must definitely have bright talent both a writer and a publicist. Truly brilliantly written critical articles can force the reader to look at a previously read work from a completely new angle, make completely new conclusions and discoveries, and can even radically change their assessments and judgments on a specific topic.

Literary criticism has close ties with modern life society, with its experiences, philosophical and aesthetic ideals of a certain era, contributes to the development of literary creative process, and has a powerful influence on the formation of public self-awareness..

Literary directions

Unity creative features writers who create within a certain historical period, is usually called a literary movement, a variety of which can be individual trends and movements. Use of identical artistic techniques, similarity of worldview and life priorities, close aesthetic views allow us to attribute a number of masters to specific branches of literary art XIX-XX centuries.

What is fiction? What are its features, why is literature considered art? A huge number of books in home library most people say that reading and perception plays in our lives important role. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the definition of the concept of “fiction”, learn about what types, types and genres it is divided into, and what is remarkable about its language. You will learn about all this and much more from the material below.

Definition of fiction

Almost all literary theorists define it as art, comparing it with painting, music, and theater. The point is that in literature, as in any other art, there is an organization of meaningless material into new uniform with specific ideological content. The types of art differ only in material: in music - sounds, in painting - colors, in architecture - Construction Materials. In this vein, literature is special in that its material is only words and language.

Thus, literature is all written texts, which in turn are divided into groups. These are popular science, reference, educational, scientific, technical and, finally, fiction. We encounter the latter from the first years of life, at school when getting acquainted with the classics of fiction, during adult life when a person consciously turns to a book that interests him. Books are a mirror of society. In a broader interpretation, fiction is those written works that are of artistic value and have aesthetic significance.

It is interesting that this view was finally formed in the 19th century thanks to representatives of romanticism. They were considering artistic reality as aesthetically unique, and writers - as special people.

When and how did literature appear?

They have been trying to find the answer to this question for quite some time. Where did it all start? People searched for answers great amount research, refuted and proved a myriad of hypotheses, analyzed the material and the people who created it. As it turned out, classical - Roman and Greek - fiction is not the most ancient. There were also Sumerian, Egyptian, and Babylonian - sophisticated and developed literatures. Oral forms of literature, beliefs of ancient peoples, and mythologies of entire civilizations play a very important role. It is with myths or similar forms that the study of any literature begins.

Types of fiction

There are three types: epic, lyrical and dramatic. The basis of this division is how the content of the work is presented to the reader. If the events are described in detail, the author’s position is detached, various characters are present, their appearance is described in detail, and the leading type of speech is narration, then we're talking about about the epic genre of literature. In other words, about prose. It includes stories, novels, essays, novellas and other similar works.

If the author wants to tell not so much about events, but about the feelings that they aroused, he creates works related to lyrics. Within this type of literature there are many genres different sizes and forms, most of which are characterized by the presence of rhyme, rhythm and other elements characteristic of lyrics. In simple words, lyrics - and their variations.

If an object is depicted in action, there is an opportunity to play it on stage, show it to the viewer and reader, we are talking about a dramatic type of literature. Here the author's voice is heard only in stage directions - the author's explanations of the actions and remarks of the main characters. The dramatic type includes various plays, tragedies, comedies.

Division into genres

As mentioned above, types of literature, in turn, include various genres - historically established groups of works that are united by certain common features. These are, for example, novels, short stories, stories, comedies, poems, poems. There is also such a thing as a species. For example, the epic type of novel will be divided into the genres of utopian novel, parable novel, historical novel and so on. The quantity is very large. It is interesting that the combination of different genres is popular, and the bolder the combination, the more original the writer’s “creation” will be.

Language as the main feature of works of art

To better understand what fiction is and what its features are, we should consider the specifics of its language. Today in literary criticism there is no clear distinction between the concepts “ artistic speech" And " art style" It’s easier to simply combine them into the concept of “artistic language”.

Literary speech is multi-styled. Exist different styles with its own characteristics and rules, in which different ones are used. Their choice depends on the author and his ideas. Each style has its own “face” - a set of elements characteristic only of it. It's interesting that in work of art words and phrases that are not included in the “ literary language", - argo, slang words, lexical units from various dialects. Some writers break the norm deliberately. Any perform aesthetic function. Words-concepts are translated by writers into word-images. Features of fiction also include vivid emotionality and expression. It should be noted that another important function of literature, in addition to aesthetic, is communicative. Words not only provide information, but also affect readers emotionally.

What is the role of the author's main tool?

What is fiction? Let's try to answer this question clearly. Fiction is a collection best images, ideas, thoughts, words. By the way, it’s the words - main tool author. With their help, the author's idea and the content of the book are realized, an image is created and an impact is exerted on the addressee.

The meaning of fiction

World fiction influences the formation of the personality and worldview of readers. It is very difficult to exaggerate the effect it has on the reader’s consciousness. Word arts has long been a part of our lives. What role does she play? What is fiction? First of all, it's history. It is passed down from generation to generation, carrying the experience and values ​​of our predecessors. Great writers addressed human consciousness and probably expected that this appeal would concern not only their contemporaries, but also people in the future.

The fact that literature can influence consciousness is supported by many examples. Often artistic word played the role of an ideological weapon. There are many cases in the history of literature when works were used for propaganda and the formation of a certain opinion. Fiction is powerful tool, with the help of which you can convey to a person norms, rules, principles, vision of the world, attitude towards the information received.

Conclusion

Reading fiction is an essential component of the personal development of every person. From books, be they novels, poems or plays, readers learn about life, learn lessons, and gain inspiration. Fiction is a treasure trove historical facts, experience previous generations, thoughts of the main philosophers of the past and present. It is not for nothing that literature is considered an art, which, with the help of simple words influences consciousness. In addition, a love of books is instilled from birth also because reading develops imagination, teaches one to imagine situations and draw images. All books that are recognized as classics develop and teach, provide knowledge, and Russian fiction is no exception.

Then to:

a) learn mastery in your genre;
b) know exactly which publisher to offer the manuscript to;
c) study your target audience and offer the book not “to everyone,” but specifically to those people who may be interested in it.

What is fiction?

Fiction refers to all works that have a fictional plot and fictional characters: novels, stories, stories and plays.

The memoirs refer to non-fiction literature, because we are talking about non-fictional events, but they are written according to the canons of fiction - with a plot, characters, etc.

But poetry, including song lyrics, is fiction, even if the author recalls a past love that actually happened.

Types of Fiction for Adults

Works of fiction are divided into genre literature, mainstream and intellectual prose.

Genre literature

IN genre literature The plot plays the first fiddle, while it fits into certain, pre-known frameworks.

This does not mean that everything genre novels must be predictable. The skill of a writer lies precisely in creating, under given conditions, a unique world, unforgettable characters and interesting way get from point “A” (the beginning) to point “B” (the outcome).

Usually, genre work ends on a positive note, the author does not delve into psychology and other lofty matters and tries to simply entertain readers.

Basic plot schemes in genre literature

Detective: crime - investigation - exposing the criminal.

Love story: heroes meet - fall in love - fight for love - connect hearts.

Thriller: the hero lived his ordinary life- a threat arises - the hero tries to escape - the hero gets rid of the danger.

Adventures: the hero sets a goal for himself and, having overcome many obstacles, achieves what he wants.

When we talk about science fiction, fantasy, historical or modern novel, we are talking not so much about the plot as about the scenery, so when defining the genre, two or three terms are used that allow us to answer the questions: “What happens in the novel?” and “Where is it happening?” If we are talking about children's literature, then a corresponding note is made.

Examples: "modern" love story», « fantastic action movie"(an action movie is an adventure), "a historical detective story", "a children's adventure story", "a fairy tale for primary school age".

Genre prose is usually published in series - either original or general.

Mainstream

In the mainstream (from English. mainstream- main flow) readers expect from the author unexpected decisions. For this type of book, the most important thing is moral development heroes, philosophy and ideology. The requirements for a mainstream author are much higher than for writers working with genre prose: he must be not only an excellent storyteller, but also a good psychologist and a serious thinker.

Another important sign mainstream - such books are written at the intersection of genres. For example, it is impossible to say unambiguously that “ gone With the Wind" - This only romance novel or only historical drama.

By the way, the drama itself, that is, the story about the tragic experience of the heroes, is also a sign of the mainstream.

As a rule, novels of this type are published outside of series. This is due to the fact that serious works take a long time to write and forming a series out of them is quite problematic. Moreover, mainstream authors are so different from each other that it is difficult to group their books into anything other than “good book.”

When specifying a genre in mainstream novels, the emphasis is usually placed not so much on the plot, but on certain features books: historical drama, novel in letters, fantastic saga etc.

Origin of the term

The term “mainstream” itself arose thanks to American writer and criticism to William Dean Howells (1837–1920). As editor of one of the most popular and influential literary magazines of his time, The Atlantic Monthly, he gave a clear preference to works written in a realistic vein and focusing on moral and philosophical issues.

Thanks to Howells realistic literature became fashionable, and for some time it was called the mainstream. The term stuck in English language, and from there moved to Russia.

Intellectual prose

In the vast majority of cases, intellectual prose has a dark mood and is published outside of series.

Main genres of fiction

Approximate classification

When submitting an application to a publishing house, we must indicate the genre so that our manuscript is sent to the appropriate editor.

Below is a rough list of genres as they are understood by publishers and bookstores.

• Avant-garde literature. Characterized by violation of canons and language and plot experiments. As a rule, avant-garde works are published in very small editions. Closely intertwined with intellectual prose.
• Action. Targeted primarily at a male audience. The basis of the plot is fights, chases, saving beauties, etc.
• Detective. Main story line- solving a crime.
• Historical novel. The time of action is the past. The plot is usually tied to significant historical events.
• Love story. Heroes find love.
• Mystic. The plot is based on supernatural events.
• Adventures. The heroes get involved in an adventure and/or go on a risky journey.
• Thriller/horror. The heroes are in mortal danger, from which they are trying to get rid of.
• Fantastic. The plot takes place in a hypothetical future or parallel world. One of the types of fiction is alternative history.
• Fantasy/fairy tales. The main features of the genre are fairy worlds, magic, unseen creatures, talking animals, etc. Often based on folklore.

What is non-fiction?

Non-fiction books are classified by topic (for example, gardening, history, etc.) and type (scientific monograph, collection of articles, photo album, etc.).

Below is a classification of non-fiction books, as it is done in bookstores. When submitting an application to a publisher, indicate the topic and type of book - for example, a textbook on writing.

Classification of non-fiction literature

• autobiographies, biographies and memoirs;
• architecture and art;
• astrology and esoterics;
• business and finance;
• armed forces;
• upbringing and education;
• house, garden, vegetable garden;
• health;
• story;
• career;
• computers;
• local history;
• love and family relationships;
• fashion and beauty;
• music, cinema, radio;
• science and technology;
• food and cooking;
• gift editions;
• politics, economics, law;
• guidebooks and travel books;
• religion;
• self-development and psychology;
• Agriculture;
• dictionaries and encyclopedias;
• sport;
• philosophy;
• hobby;
• school textbooks;
• linguistics and literature.

Lyrics

Lyrics is a type of literature that is based on an appeal to the sphere of the internal - to states human consciousness, emotions, impressions, experiences. Even if there is a narrative element in the works, the lyrical work is always subjective and focused on the hero. The characteristics of a lyrical work are “conciseness”, “monologue”, “unity of the lyrical plot” and “instantaneity” (“precision”, “modernity”). Majority lyrical works refers to poetry.

Drama

Drama is a type of literature that primarily reproduces the world external to the author - actions, relationships between people, conflicts, but unlike the epic, it has not a narrative, but a dialogical form. In dramatic works, the text on behalf of the author is episodic in nature, for the most part limited to stage directions and explanations of the plot. Majority dramatic works is being written for subsequent production in the theatre.

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Structural text types

Prose

Prose is considered to be a literary text in which a separate rhythm, independent of speech, does not invade the linguistic fabric and does not affect the content. However, it is known whole line borderline phenomena: many prose writers deliberately give their works some signs of poetry (one can mention the highly rhythmic prose of Andrei Bely or the rhymed fragments in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “The Gift”). Literary scholars continue to argue about the exact boundaries between prose and poetry. different countries over the last century.

Prose is widely used in fiction - in the creation of novels, short stories etc. Selected examples Such works have been known for many centuries, but they have developed into an independent form of literary works relatively recently.

For the Russian ear, the familiar appearance of a poem is associated with a syllabic-tonic rhythm and the presence of rhyme in the poem, but neither one nor the other is actually a necessary feature of poetry that distinguishes it from prose. In general, the role of rhythm in a poem is not only to give the text a peculiar musicality, but also to the impact that this rhythm has on the meaning: thanks to the rhythm, some words and expressions (for example, those that appear at the end of a poetic line, rhymed) are highlighted in the poetic speech , accented.

Poetic speech, earlier than prosaic speech, was recognized as a special phenomenon characteristic of literary text and distinguishing it from ordinary everyday speech. First known literary works- for the most part, ancient epics (for example, the Sumerian “Tale of Gilgamesh”, dating back to about 2200-3000 BC) are poetic texts. At the same time, the poetic form is not necessarily associated with artistry: the formal features of poetry help it perform a mnemonic function, and therefore different time V different cultures Scientific, legal, genealogical, and pedagogical works in verse were distributed.

Fiction by period

Ancient literature

The first period of the appearance of fiction as an art form is considered to be antiquity - the Mediterranean civilization of the 1st millennium BC. e. Ancient literature is the literature of the ancient Greeks and Romans, consisting of two national literatures: ancient Greek and ancient Roman. Historically, Greek literature preceded Roman literature.

At the same time with ancient culture in a swimming pool Mediterranean Sea Other cultural areas developed, among which ancient Judea occupied a prominent place. Ancient and Jewish culture became the basis of all Western civilization and art.

In parallel with the ancient one, other ancient cultures and, accordingly, literatures developed: ancient Chinese, ancient Indian, ancient Iranian, and Hebrew. Ancient Egyptian literature was experiencing a period of prosperity at that time.

IN ancient literature The main genres of European literature in their archaic forms and the foundations of the science of literature were formed. The aesthetic science of antiquity identified three main literary genres: epic, lyric and drama (Aristotle), this classification retains its basic meaning to this day.

Literature of the Middle Ages

Medieval art reached its culmination in the XII-XIII centuries. Currently, medieval literature is usually divided into Latin literature and literature in vernacular languages ​​(Romance and Germanic). Genre division Latin literature generally reproduced the antique. Animal epic was popular.

Renaissance Literature

If medieval literature was predominantly Christian, then during the Renaissance, against the background of a general interest in antiquity, interest in ancient literature was also revived, fiction was increasingly oriented towards secular subjects, and humanistic tendencies appeared. Initial stage Renaissance literature is traditionally considered the work of Dante, his “Divine Comedy” combines elements of both medieval literature (form - afterlife vision, allegorical content), and not characteristic medieval literature elements of mysticism, pantheism, the image of a simple girl Beatrice. During the Renaissance, dramatic art flourished (Shakespeare, the school of Lope de Vega), humanistic utopias appeared (Thomas More, Tomaso Campanella), as well as sharp satire, for example, “Gargantua and Pantagruel” by Rabelais. Gutenberg's invention of printing in 1455 made fiction much more accessible during this period.

Literature of the Enlightenment

19th century literature

Literature of the 19th century developed in two main directions, the literature of romanticism and the literature of realism. Romanticism as literary direction developed from sentimentalism and is characterized by an interest in mysticism (Meyrink, M. Shelley, Hoffmann), folklore (the Brothers Grimm), to the common man(Hugo), other cultures (Byron, F. Cooper). Within the framework of romanticism, fantasy, detective, and adventure literature were formed.

Realism was well characterized by Balzac, who is considered a classic of realism. He said: “I describe men, women and things.” Works of realism do not teach, do not idealize, or give moral assessments. They describe life and allow the reader to draw their own conclusions. An important element realism is a comprehensive, impartial description inner world heroes. The most characteristic writers of realism are Balzac, Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and others.

Literature of modernism

Chronologically, modernism fits into the framework of the first half of the twentieth century, thematically connected with industrialization, urbanization, and the horrors of the First World War. Modernists turn to the description of the intricacies of the human psyche (W. Wolfe), the theme of sexuality (D. H. Lawrence), they are characterized by apoliticality and pacifism (E. Hemingway).

A classic example of modernist literature is the novel by J. Joyce “Ulysses”, the work of T. S. Eliot, M. Proust.

Postmodern literature

Postmodernism gradually replaced modernism in the mid-20th century. It is difficult to characterize it unambiguously, since within the framework of postmodernism there are many different approaches. This is hypertext, when the reading order is not dictated by the author, but is chosen by the reader, intertextuality, characterized by allusions to other works, and sometimes conscious borrowing, the absence of a plot resolution or the presence of several alternative endings, a mixture of styles, irony, play and black humor.

Postmodernism can also include magical realism, a genre that originated in South America and characterized by the inclusion of magical elements in a realistic narrative. The novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by G. G. Marquez is a shining example magical realism. In Russia, Chingiz Aitmatov is included in this direction.

The Beat generation is also classified as postmodernism.

Artistic methods and directions

• Baroque is a movement characterized by a combination of realistic descriptions with their allegorical depiction. Symbols, metaphors, theatrical techniques, rich rhetorical figures, antitheses, parallelisms, gradations, and oxymorons were widely used. Baroque literature is characterized by a desire for diversity, a summation of knowledge about the world, inclusiveness, encyclopedicism, which sometimes turns into chaos and collecting curiosities, a desire to study existence in its contrasts (spirit and flesh, darkness and light, time and eternity).
• Classicism is a movement whose main subject of creativity was the conflict between public duty and personal passions. “Low” genres - fable (

Literature (from the Latin litera - letter, writing) is a type of art in which the main means of figurative reflection of life is the word.

Fiction is a type of art that is capable of most comprehensively and widely revealing the phenomena of life, showing them in movement and development.

As an art of words, fiction arose in oral folk art. Its sources were songs and folk epic tales. The word is an inexhaustible source of knowledge and an amazing means for creating artistic images. In words, in the language of any people, their history, their character, the nature of the Motherland are captured, the wisdom of centuries is concentrated. Living word rich and generous. It has many shades. It can be menacing and gentle, instill horror and give hope. No wonder the poet Vadim Shefner said this about the word:

With a word you can kill, with a word you can save, with a word you can lead regiments. A word can be sold and betrayed and bought, A word can be poured into crushing lead.

1.2. Oral folk art and literature. Genres unt.

1.3. Artistic image. Artistic time and space.

Artistic image is not only an image of a person (the image of Tatyana Larina, Andrei Bolkonsky, Raskolnikov, etc.) - it is a picture of human life, in the center of which stands a specific person, but which includes everything that surrounds him in life. Thus, in a work of art a person is depicted in relationships with other people. Therefore, here we can talk not about one image, but about many images.

Any image is an inner world that has come into the focus of consciousness. Outside of images there is no reflection of reality, no imagination, no knowledge, no creativity. The image can take sensual and rational forms. The image can be based on a person’s fiction, or it can be factual. Artistic image objectified in the form of both the whole and its individual parts.

Artistic image can expressively influence feelings and mind.

It provides the maximum capacity of content, is capable of expressing the infinite through the finite, it is reproduced and evaluated as a kind of whole, even if created with the help of several details. The image may be sketchy, unspoken.

As an example of an artistic image, one can cite the image of the landowner Korobochka from Gogol’s novel “ Dead Souls" She was an elderly woman, thrifty, collecting all sorts of rubbish. The box is extremely stupid and slow to think. However, she knows how to trade and is afraid to sell things short. This petty thrift and commercial efficiency puts Nastasya Petrovna above Manilov, who has no enthusiasm and who knows neither good nor evil. The landowner is very kind and caring. When Chichikov visited her, she treated him to pancakes, unleavened pie with eggs, mushrooms, and flatbreads. She even offered to scratch her guest's heels at night.