Oldal 27 [27]
26 | Digital Media and Storytelling in Higher Education
have a beginning, middle and end; (2) it must have a certain length, which is
not too short and not too long; (3) the unity of the action should be primary;
(4) the unity of probable and necessary actions should be in focus; (5) the
plot should contain unexpected storylines for the right effect. In addition
to outlining criteria for a narrative, Aristotle also defined its parts, which
include (1) ‘the unexpected turn; (2) ‘the realization’ and (3) ‘the suffering.
He also writes about the requirements of characterization, as well as the role
of spectacle and language.
As seen above, ancient thinkers already started to formally group narratives
and distinguished between works written in verse or prose; they also
differentiated between drama and epic based on the presence of the narrator at
the textual level. In epic, the narrator speaks directly, while in drama the plot
unfolds through the dialogue of the characters. Further systematic thinking
about narratives appeared in the Romantic theory of poetry, especially in
the work of the Schlegel brothers and of Hegel, who defined the lyric as the
third main genre.
After that period, newer and newer narratives found a place in the
subordinate system of genres.
The function, form, and hierarchy of genres, as well as the classification of genre
groups, can vary from literary period to literary period, and some genres are
found only in the literature of certain nations. Moreover, genres are in a state
of constant flux. (Keszeg, 2011, p. 17)
The acts, themes, and genres of storytelling also change from era to era,
culture to culture and social group to social group. Some themes and genres
may lose their importance andbe excluded from the public sphere, while
others may become particularly popular; a transformation of narratives
can also be observed. Narratives conveying Christian ideology (e. g. stories
of conversion, damnation and mystery) were followed by chivalric tales,
then from the Enlightenment onwards by educational narratives; after the
Industrial Revolution, narratives dealt with the relationship between human
beings and technology. In the 16" century, a process of division began, and
authorial literature consumed by the elite and popular stories passed on by
word of mouth split into two registers. From the Romantic period onwards,
national literature became more prevalent, followed by personal narratives
from the fin de siécle (Keszeg, 2011).
Narrative schemas linked to genres can help to interpret individual
narratives, but genre categories cannot be considered permanent. The
function, form, and hierarchy of genres, as well as the classification of genre
groups, can vary from literary period to literary period, and some genres
are found only in the literature of certain nations. Moreover, genres are in
a state of continuous transformation (Imre, 1996). Todorov (1988) argued
that genres are not without precedent but evolve dynamically from each