THE 17 TYPES OF NARRATION AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - LITERATURE - 2025

There are different types of narration, which have been classified taking into account the distinctive elements of each one. For example, according to the length of the text, novels (which are relatively long), short novels (shorter), short stories (short) and micro-stories (very short) can be found, among others.

According to the veracity of the facts, you can have fictional narratives and narratives based on real events. These can be divided into different categories or genres.

Among the fictional narratives, the psychological thriller, drama, comedy and science fiction stand out. For its part, among the narratives based on real events are the autobiography, biography, and chronicle, among others.

Other types of narration are the epic, the fable, the myth, the legend, the letters, the memoirs, the diaries, the parable and the news.

List of main types of narration

Fictional narration

Fictional narration is a type of text that tells events originated by the author's imagination. In this type of narration, the author can be based on elements of reality, which are mixed with fictional elements to create the final work.

Non-fictional narration

The non-fictional narrative tells of events that actually happened. Events can be "embellished" using literary devices. However, the narrated facts cannot be altered, otherwise, it would cease to be a non-fictional narrative.

Story

The story is one of the most popular types of narration. It is a short story in which events that are not very complex are presented.

Some examples of these are "Rats in the Graveyard" by Henry Kuttner, "The Vampire" by John William Polidori, "The Nameless City" and "In the Crypt" both by HP Lovecraft,

Microcount

The micro-story is a very short story. Generally, they do not have more than one paragraph. There are even micro-stories that are just a sentence.

An example of this type of narration is "The corpus and the canon" by José María Medina:

Pursued by the Canon, the Corpus reached a dead end. "Why are you harassing me?" asked the Corpus to the Canon, "I don't like you" he added. "The pleasure is mine" replied the threatening Canon.

Legend

The legend is a short story that is usually based on real events, which are exaggerated to the point where they are no longer credible.

Most of the legends center on a historical person like King Arthur or Joan of Arc. However, there are also legends that are based on particular, existing or imaginary places. Such is the case with the legends about the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis and Avalon.

Myth

The myth is a short story in which supernatural events are narrated. Characters from Greek and Roman mythology are usually included, such as the gods of Olympus.

One of the best known myths is that of King Midas, who was able to transform everything that his hands touched into gold.

Fable

Fables are short stories that are characterized by the fact of presenting animals as protagonists. In these narratives, the animals are humanized, which means that human capacities are attributed to them, such as speaking.

Another element that defines this type of story is the presence of a moral, which is the teaching that is extracted from the fable.

The most famous fables are those of the Greek philosopher Aesop, who is considered the father of this type of narrative.

Parable

The parable is a story told in prose or verse that relies on analogies to explain a principle. Like the fables, this type of narration leaves a teaching.

Epic

The epic is a narrative of great length, which is usually told in verse. The main character of this type of narration is a hero, whose qualities are increased.

It usually includes imaginary elements, such as magic and gods. Some examples of the epic are "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", attributed to Homer.

Diary

The diaries are texts in which the events that occur daily or every certain period of time are narrated. These texts can be fictitious (like "The Falke") or real (like The Diary of Anne Frank).

Novel

The novel is a long narrative, usually written in prose. The events that are included, the way of presenting them and the characters are much more complex than those in the story.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez and "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco are some examples of novels.

Short novel

The short novel is one of the most difficult types of narration to classify, since it can be confused with a short story, since the length of both is similar.

However, the length is not the only element that must be taken into account to determine what a short novel is. The complexity of the actions must also be borne in mind. If the narrated elements are complex, then it will be a short novel and not a story.

Some examples of short novels are "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and "The Devil's Dishes" by Eduardo Liendo.

News

News is narrative and informative texts, which can be presented in written form in newspapers, magazines and electronic media or orally on television, radio and other audiovisual media.

Letters

The letters are narrative texts whose purpose is to guarantee communication between two parties.

Sing of deed

The chanting of deeds is a type of story typical of the Middle Ages, in which the adventures of a heroic character are narrated. The songs are usually presented in verses. An example of these are the "Poema de Mío Cid" and "The song of Rolando".

Biography

Biography is one of the most common non-fictional narratives. This consists of telling the life of a person, without altering or modifying the events that occurred.

Autobiography

Autobiography is a type of narration where the person who writes narrates his own life.

References

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