This chapter presents a tentative and large categorized system of narrative genres (i.e., a “narrative genre system”). It is related to the division of the objects or materials of research and analysis in the synthetic narrative generation study based on computational methods. Although, throughout the book, the author consciously uses Japanese narratives that include both universal narrative characteristics and local or cultural features, this narrative genre system is also constructed using Japanese narrative genres as concrete materials. As an overview, the narrative genre system includes five narrative categories: the narrative genre as a work in the narrow sense, the narrative genre as a work in the broad sense, the narrative genre as social and emergent phenomena, the narrative genres invading the real phenomena, the narrative genres as human physiological and psychological phenomena. In each explanation, after the corresponding narrative, genre category is defined and explained, and a concrete genre under the large genre category is treated for discussing the characteristics.
TopIntroduction
This chapter presents a tentative and large categorized system of narrative genres—that is, a “narrative genre system.” It is related to the division of the objects or materials of research and analysis in the synthetic narrative generation study based on computational methods. Throughout the book, the author consciously uses Japanese narratives which include both universal narrative characteristics and local or cultural features; however, this narrative genre system was also constructed using Japanese narrative genres as basic concrete materials.
First, in BACKGROUND, the author describes “studies on narrative genres” and “histories of Japanese literature, geinō, and folklore” as necessary prior knowledge for reading this book. The author thinks of the latter as the history of Japanese literature in a broad sense. Regarding the latter, this section extracts many genres in the narratives in Japanese literature and the related narratives in cultural areas to make a list of narrative genres.
As shown in the discussion in this chapter, narratives do not necessarily appear only in literary areas. Narratives also appear in other geinōs (performance arts), entertainments, social events, and so on. Therefore, in this chapter, the author has studied extensively a wide area of narratives, including Japanese literature in a broad sense and history. The first main discussion in this chapter is developed in A NARRATIVE GENRE SYSTEM AND ITS SUBCATEGORIES. Narrative genres are classified into five categories, and all of the categories are discussed in the following sections.
There are five categories that correspond to the following subtitles:
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Narrative Genre (1): NARRATIVES AS WORKS IN THE NARROW SENSE OR WORKS IN THE NARROW SENSE IN WHICH NARRATIVES APPEAR (OR NARRATIVES ARE INCLUDED).
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Narrative Genre (2): NARRATIVES AS WORKS IN THE BROAD SENSE OR WORKS IN THE BROAD SENSE IN WHICH NARRATIVES APPEAR (OR NARRATIVES ARE INCLUDED).
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Narrative Genre (3): NARRATIVES AS SOCIAL AND EMERGENT PHENOMENA OR SOCIAL AND EMERGENT PHENOMENA IN WHICH NARRATIVES APPEAR (OR NARRATIVES ARE INCLUDED).
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Narrative Genre (4): NARRATIVES THAT INVADE REAL PHENOMENA OR REAL PHENOMENA IN WHICH NARRATIVES APPEAR (OR NARRATIVES ARE INCLUDED).
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Narrative Genre (5): NARRATIVES AS HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL NATURAL PHENOMENA OR HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL NATURAL PHENOMENA IN WHICH NARRATIVES APPEAR (OR NARRATIVES ARE INCLUDED).
As an overview, the narrative genre system includes the following five narrative categories: (1) The narrative genre as a work in the narrow sense; (2) The narrative genre as a work in the broad sense; (3) The narrative genre as social and emergent phenomena; (4) The narrative genre invading real phenomena; and (5) The narrative genre as human physiological and psychological phenomena. After the corresponding narrative genre category is defined and explained, a concrete genre under the broad genre category is addressed to discuss the characteristics. Appendix shows the current version of the narrative genre system.
TopBackground
This section deals with tendencies regarding narrative genres and the histories of Japanese literature and geinō for Japanese literary history in a broad sense.