Literary genre, textual genre and textual type
In the last posts, we defined what Literature is and what its 5 functions are . Now we will address literary genres, textual genres and textual types. It is very important not to confuse these three terms. So let us clarify each of them.
Literary genre – classified according to its form, which can be of
the epic or narrative, lyrical and dramatic genres. The concept covers only
literary texts.
Textual genre – covers all types of text, except literary ones.
Text type
– is the way a text is presented. It can be classified as narrative,
descriptive, dissertative, injunctive, explanatory and predictive. All these
classifications can be present in both literary and textual genres.
Text – is
any sentence and/or expression that constitutes communication. Therefore, it
does not need to be written. When I tell someone I really liked the candy you
bought, that is a text, even if it is not written.
Literary Genres – Aristotle, the beginning of everything
Aristotle
(384 BC-322 BC) was one of the leading Greek philosophers. He wrote a number of
works on philosophy, politics, ethics, metaphysics and logic. He systematized
the knowledge that influences the entire Western culture, created new concepts
and opened a new philosophical school. His work is so important that it was
used in the following centuries (and until today) to elaborate argumentation,
the study of language and philosophical writing.
Aristotle proposed the classification of literary genres in classical antiquity, in
his work Poetics. He as defined the literary genres: epic, lyrical and
dramatic.
Epic or narrative genre – meant the “narrated word”, as it portrayed the grandiose
events of a hero in extensive poems called epics.
Lyrical genre – represented the “sung word”, since, in the past,
literary texts were recited and accompanied by musical instruments, especially
the lyre.
Dramatic genre – symbolized the “represented word” and brought
together texts written for a theatrical play.
Textual genres
They are texts
that fulfill a social function in a given communicative situation. Unlike text
types, text genres do not have a limited and defined structure. In addition,
they may undergo some modifications over time, due to changes in communication
in society.
The most common
are: article, summary, recipe, letter, advertisement, novel, dictionary,
review, poem and e-mail.
Difference between genre and text type
Text types are
sequences of words and phrases that make up the texts we read every day. Thus,
it can be said that textual types form textual genres.
An example of a
textual type is the description. When, for example, we are going to write a
chronicle (textual genre), we use description (textual type) to show our reader
what the objects, characters and spaces of a given scene are like.
A text genre
usually contains several text types, although a certain type usually prevails
within a genre. For example: the essay is a textual genre where the essay type
prevails, but there may be explanatory and even narrative excerpts.
Textual types or typologies
They are sequences
of words and phrases that form the texts we use in our daily lives. They
establish the structure of texts, their aim and purpose. That is, they are
responsible for the way a text is presented. They are narrative, descriptive,
dissertative, injunctive, explanatory and predictive.
Classification of textual genres according to textual types
Each text had a
language and structure. Note that there are numerous textual genres within the
typological text categories. In other words, textual genres are peculiar
textual structures that arise from the types of texts.
Textual types
Narrative
– presents the actions of characters in time and space. The narration structure
is divided into presentation, development, climax and ending.
Examples: novel,
chronicle, tale, legend, biography, novel, etc.
Descriptive – reports and exposes a particular person, object,
place, and event. They are texts full of adjectives, which describe or present
images from the sensory perceptions of the speaker (sender).
Examples: diary,
reports (travel, history, etc.), biography and autobiography, news, resume,
shopping list, menu, classified ads, argumentative-essay text.
Dissertation – exposes a theme or subject through arguments. It is
marked by defending a point of view while trying to persuade the reader. Its
textual structure is divided into three parts: thesis (presentation),
antithesis (development), new thesis (conclusion).
Examples:
journalistic editorial, opinion letter, review, article, essay, monograph,
master's dissertation and doctoral thesis.
Injunctive – also called instructional text, the one indicates
an order, so that the speaker (sender) aims to guide and persuade the
interlocutor (receiver). Therefore, they present, in most cases, verbs in the
imperative.
Examples:
advertising, cooking recipe, medicine leaflet, instruction manual, regulation,
prescriptive texts, anecdote, blog, report, cartoon, letter, e-mail, statement,
memo, ticket, report, request, minutes, poster, cartoon, power of attorney,
certificate, circular and contract.
Expository/explanatory
– exposes a given idea, through resources such as definition,
conceptualization, information, description and comparison.
Examples:
seminars, lectures, conferences, interviews, academic papers, encyclopedia and
dictionary entries.
Predictive – presents its verbs in the future tense and
sometimes in the present tense. It is common to use expressions with future
value, in addition to the existence of interlocution.
Examples: weather
forecast, horoscope, prophecies and even some proverbs.
Types of Text Genres
Poem –
text usually organized in verses and characterized by the use of figures of
speech, such as metaphor, assonance and alliteration. A Rosa do Povo, by Carlos
Drummond de Andrade, and Romanceiro da Inconfidência, by Cecília Meireles, are
examples of books of poems.
Essay
– reflective genre, in which the author talks about a certain subject in a
free, non-systematized and original way. Example: the book Essays, by Michel de
Montaigne.
Biography
– narrative text that, based on diverse documentation, seeks to reconstruct the
life story of a person. Example: the biography Getúlio, by journalist Lira
Neto, which tells the story of the Brazilian political leader Getúlio Vargas.
Diary –
genre of a personal nature, used to periodically record your experiences,
experiences, reflections, thoughts, etc. Examples: Anne Frank's Diary and
Carolina Maria de Jesus' Eviction Room.
News –
journalistic genre whose function is to communicate some socially relevant
fact, such as a political event or cultural event. The newspaper, whether
printed or electronic, is full of news, which are characterized by impartiality
and objectivity.
Opinion article – text of an argumentative nature, usually published
in newspapers and magazines. It is characterized by exposing the opinion of
whoever writes (the columnist) on the most diverse topics of today.
Review
– commentary on a particular cultural object, be it a movie or a book. In
addition to presenting this cultural object, the review has a critical
character, that is, it expresses the opinion of its author.
E-mail – a new genre
emerged with the advent of the internet. It largely replaces the letter, as it
is a much faster and easier way of sending messages to people who are far away.
Dictionary entry – text that seeks, in the most synthetic and
objective very possible, to define a word, taking into account its most varied
meanings.
Manifesto
– programmatic text, in which its author (or authors) expresses their position
on a controversial subject. Manifests are usually intended to make an impact
and persuade your readers. Examples: the Communist Party Manifesto, by Marx and
Engels, and the Futurist Manifesto, by Marinetti.
Ticket –
very useful text in everyday life. It does not have a fixed form and tends to
be brief. Your goal is to communicate something quickly to another person. As
it is a personal text, its author signs it.
In the next post,
we will talk exclusively about literary genres. Don't miss out!
