Kinds of Narrative Texts for Learning English

How many kind of narrative texts? Or what is actually a narrative text? Narrative is an account of a sequence of events, usually in chronological order. Relating to kinds of text, which student has to complete studying in high school, narrative is a text which retells the story or previous experiences where complication dominantly places participants into conflicts. The purpose of the text is to entertain or amuse readers or listeners about the story.

Narrative is basically story and within this, story telling, there are many kinds of narrative – comedy, mystery, romance, horror are some of the commoner types. A poem can also be a narrative if it tells a story rather than just describing something.

According to L. Spencer, in A Step-by-Step Guide to Narrative Writing. Rosen, 2005, In writing a narrative, an author has a chance to make his or her mark on the world by relating a story that only he or she can tell. Whether it comes from a personal experience or is one that the writer has imagined, the point of a narrative is to bring one’s subject to life. By using sensory details, the five Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why, and how), and basic story structure, any subject can be made exciting. Common forms of narrative text which are studied in high school are:
Legend
What is legend? A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history. Typically, a legend is a short, traditional and historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode. Some define legend as folktale. The example of legend in narrative text are

• The legend of Surabaya name
• The legend of Tangkuban Perahu
• The story of Toba lake

Fable
What is fabel? A fabel is a short allegorical narrative making a moral point, traditionally by means of animal characters who speak and act like human beings. The example of fable in narrative text are:

• Mousedeer and crocodile
• The Ants and the Grasshopper
• The smartest parrot
• The story of monkey and crocodile

Fairy tale
What is fairy tale? According to Wikipedia, fairy tale is an English language term for a type of short narrative corresponding to the French phrase “conte de fée”. A fairy tale typically features such folkloric characters as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. The example of fairy tale in narrative text are:

• Cinderella
• Snow white
• Pinocchio
• Beauty and the beast
• The story of Rapunzel

Myth
What is a myth? It is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

• Dewi Sri
• Batara Kala

Science fiction
What is science fiction? According to Basil Davenport. 1955, Science fiction is fiction based upon some imagined development of science, or upon the extrapolation of a tendency in society. Science fiction is that class of prose narrative treating of a situation that could not arise in the world we know. Some examples of science fiction are:

• To the Moon from the Earth by Jules Verne
• Starship Trooper by Robert Heinlein
• A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

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