Narrative and Poetics

Narrative Theory: Narrative theory is the study of narratives and their components, including linguistics, semiotics, and culture. It is also concerned with analyzing the ways in which narratives are used to construct meaning.

Literary Devices: Literary devices are techniques used by writers to create a desired effect or enhance the meaning of a work. Common examples include symbolism, imagery, figurative language, and motifs.

Mythology: Mythology is a collection of stories, traditions, and beliefs that center around divine, supernatural, or extraordinary beings or events. Studying mythology can provide insights into how narratives and poetic works are constructed and can provide a framework for interpreting them.

Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities explicitly. Symbols can range from objects and animals to color and numbers and can be used to convey complex themes and ideas.

Poetic Forms: Poetic forms refer to the various structures and styles used in poetry, such as sonnets, haikus, and free verse. Understanding poetic forms is essential when interpreting and analyzing poetry.

Intertextuality: Intertextuality refers to the interrelationship between texts and their authors, including how one text may reference or allude to another, shaping the meaning of both.

Semiotics: Semiotics is the study of signs, symbols, and their significance. It examines how meaning is constructed and communicated through symbols such as words, images, and sounds.

Hermeneutics: Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation and how meaning is constructed in written and spoken texts. It is concerned with the methods and principles used to interpret literature.

Genre Theory: Genre theory is the study of classification systems for literature, including poetry, drama, and fiction. It examines the defining features of these genres and how they shape writers' choices and reader's expectations.

Deconstruction: Deconstruction is a literary theory that challenges the assumptions and binary oppositions that underpin traditional literary analysis. It analyzes how these oppositions are constructed and how their deconstruction can lead to new and multiple meanings.

Epic poetry: Epic poetry is a genre that usually tells a story of a heroic figure or events that are significant to a culture. It employs diction, meter, and other stylistic elements to enhance the story's impact.

Ballad: A ballad is a type of narrative poetry that often tells a story in verse form, set to music. Ballads commonly depict tales of love, tragedy, and adventure.

Lyric Poetry: Lyric poetry is characterized by its musicality, expressing feelings or ideas through the use of song-like language. The poems are usually shorter and more personal compared to other genres.

Prose Poetry: Prose poetry is a genre that doesn't use typical poetic form or structure but instead incorporates poetic language and lyrical qualities. It often deals with emotional themes and is a form of expression.

Satirical Poetry: Satirical poetry employs irony, sarcasm or wit in order to ridicule or expose problems in society or individuals. It’s a way to evoke laughter and raise awareness to social or political issues.

Sonnet: A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme. It addresses love, time, death or other themes related to the human experience.

Epistolary Novel: An epistolary novel is a type of novel that is written in the form of a series of letters or other documents. The writer creates the illusion of reality by incorporating real dates, people and places.

Narrative Poetry: Narrative poetry tells a story. It could be a heroic epic like the Odyssey or a shorter, more personal narrative.

Novella: A novella is shorter than a novel but longer than a short story. It usually follows a single story arc, though it can encompass several story lines.

Haiku: A haiku is a Japanese poem, usually about nature. It consists of three line stanzas, with a specific syllable count of 5-7-5 per line.