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Examing the Difference Between Literary Genres

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Almost everyone has read a story, poem, or seen a play at some point in his or her life. But if someone asked you to talk about the form or structure of these three genres, your answer may take some time to formulate. Here's a brief description of how to discuss and compare each genre.

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Solution Summary

The solution is a brief summary of the forms of drama, poetry, and the short story.

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Think of each (drama, poetry, and the short story as genres). Each genre has specific requirements that make it different and separate from the other.

For example, plays do not require a lot of exposition (exposition = explaining, which is what is happening) because the themes come from the dialogue. The stage setting is part of how the director envisions it, and much like a movie script, there is very little discussion about what the stage should look like; it is totally up to the director to make this call. How the set looks or is designed will have some bearing on thematic elements, but the majority of themes come from what the actors say and how they say it.

In a play the meaning (theme) comes from what the actors say (dialogue), and how they say it; for example, the inflection in their voices ...

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