Types of stories

Types of stories

Thinking in stories is almost always related to a child audience. However, this does not have to be the case as there are many types of stories. Some of them are focused on the adult audience, while others, with more childish themes, would be for children.

But what kinds of stories are there? What is each of them about? If your curiosity has piqued you, then we will talk about it.

What is a story

What is a story

A story is defined as a short story, which may or may not be based on real events, and whose characters are reduced. The argument of these narratives is very simple and can be told by oral or written route. In it, aspects of fiction are mixed with real events, and it is used to tell a story but also to help children learn values, morals, etc.

La structure of the story is based on three parts well defined in all of them:

  • An introduction, where the characters are introduced and they are introduced to a problem they have.
  • A knot, where the characters are immersed in the problem because something has happened that prevents everything from being beautiful as in the introduction.
  • An outcome, which occurs when a solution is found to that problem in order to have a happy ending again, which can be like the beginning.

What types of stories are there?

What types of stories are there?

We cannot tell you that there is a single classification of the types of stories that exist, since there are authors who classify them in greater numbers than others. For example, according to the lecture "From a popular tale to a literary tale" by José María Merino, there are two types of stories:

  • Popular tale. It is a traditional narrative where the story of some characters is presented. This, in turn, is divided into fairy tales, animals, fables and tales of customs. In addition, annexed to all of them would be the myths and legends, although they would not be included within the division of the popular tale.
  • Literary tale: is that work that is transmitted through writing. One of the oldest preserved is El conde Lucanor, a composition of 51 stories from different origins, written by Don Juan Manuel. It is within this great category that we can find a greater division, since realistic stories, mystery, historical, romantic, police, fantasy ...

Other authors do not see this classification and consider that the subdivisions are actually the types of stories that exist. Thus, the most prominent would be:

Fairy tales

It would be defined within the popular tales, one of the most read and characterized by being a story that is not real, that occurs in unknown time and space and that has a test that must be overcome to reach the happy ending.

Animal tales

In them the protagonists are not people, but animals that have human personalities. Sometimes animals can be accompanied by humans, but these would act in the background.

Tales of customs

They are stories where you seek to be critical of society or the time in which the story is told, sometimes through satire or humor.

Of fantasy

They would be included within literary stories, but many believe that they can also be popular stories. In this case, the story is based on something invented where magic, sorcery and the characters have powers appear.

You realists

They are those that tell scenes from day to day, with which children can identify themselves and, in this way, learn.

Of mistery

They are characterized by seeking that the reader is hooked to the story in such a way that he lives almost the same as the protagonist of the story.

Horror

Unlike the previous one, where intrigue is sought, here it is fear that will characterize the plot. But it is also intended that the reader experiences the same as the protagonist, that is scared and lives the terror that is narrated in the story.

Of comedy

Your goal is to present a hilarious story that makes the reader laugh, whether through jokes, funny situations, clumsy characters, etc.

Of history

It is not so much explaining a historical fact, but rather they use that real fact to locate the characters and time and space, but they do not have to be faithful to reality.

For example, it could be a story about Leonardo Da Vinci one day when he took a break from painting. It is known that the character existed and the story is located in that space-time, but it does not have to be something that really happened.

Romantics

The basis of these stories is a story in which the main theme is the love between two characters.

Police

In them the plot is based on a crime, a crime or clarifying a problem through characters who are policemen or detectives.

Of Science fiction

They are those that are located in the future or in the present but with very advanced technological advances (which do not yet exist in real life).

What makes a story fall into one category or another

What makes a story fall into one category or another

Imagine that you are going to tell a story to your son or daughter, to your nephew or niece… Instead of picking up a book and reading it to them, you start to tell the story by making it up. Or narrating one that you already know. Based on the above classification, this could be a folk tale if it deals with some subdivision of those folk tales.

On the other hand, if what you do is read a book of stories, it would fall within the literary sphere, since it is going to be transmitted through writing.

Indeed, When classifying a story, it can be done in many ways:

  • Whether it is narrated or read (written).
  • Whether it is fantastic, fairies, a fable, police officers, a couple ...

Even some stories can be grouped into two or more categories since at the time of cataloging it, it can be done according to the characters or according to the plot. For example, imagine that the characters are animals that have human features (they speak, reason, etc.). We would be facing a tale of animals. But what if those characters were detectives investigating a robbery in the jungle? We're already getting into a police children's tale.

It is not necessary to give so much importance to the fact of wanting to classify a book. Only publishers classify them and do so to keep an "order" in their catalog of books, as well as to know which books they should publish and which they should not. But when it comes to thinking about the readers, they will read the stories based on their tastes, being able to mix genres and, thus, be more original to surprise them.


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