Fiction (19466)

Fiction

Fiction is a part of literature, and it deals with events and stories not based on true facts. Its main forms are novels and short stories, even if there are many other kinds like legends, fables, comics, science fiction, fantasy etc. Novels and short stories differ for these main features:

Novel and short story

Novel — Short story

Time of the story: Longer — Shorter

However, they both can deal with

Characters: Many — Few

similar themes, even if the novel

Plot: Complex — Easy

prefers love and complex themes,

Events: Many, and described — Few, and without description

and the short story prefers jokes or

Effects on the reader: Evoke human emotions, distract one’s minds, make laugh, give hope

some moral lesson, like in the

fables. reader one’s minds, make laugh, give hope

In every narration there is a narrator, that is who tells the story. The narrator can be:

Narrator

1st person — 3rd person

Intrusive (interacts with the reader)

Internal — Not intrusive — External — Non-omniscient

Omniscient

A 1st person narrator usually makes the reader involved. He relates the events from his perspective and the reader considers the events more real. A 3rd person narrator on the contrary remains outside the story (external). He observes the events he describes. He can be omniscient or non-omniscient, so he can know anything about the characters and the story or not. Both the 1st person narrator and the 3rd person narrator can be intrusive or non-intrusive. If a narrator is intrusive, he interacts with the reader, if he is non-intrusive, he is detached from the reader.

In a story, the author can choose some techniques to create particular effects. For example, a very used theme when there is a 1st person narrator is the interior monologue, where the protagonist is also the narrator and speaks to oneself about his problems and troubles.