Narrative Text

Narrative text is a text which contains about story (fiction/non fiction/tales/folktales/fables/myths/epic) and its plot consists of climax of the story (complication) then followed by the resolution.

The narrative text short story is telling of a story or an account of a sequence of events. One of the four traditional forms of composition (along with description, exposition, and persuasion). Narration differs from exposition, which can also relate a sequence of events, in that narration need not be factual and may be written from the perspective of a character in the text.

The purpose of the Narrative Text is to amuse, entertain and deal with actual or vicarious experience in different ways. Narrative deal with problematic events which lead to a crisis or turning point of some kind, which in turn finds a resolution.

The generic structure of a narrative text:

• Orientation: Sets the scene and introduces the participants.
• Complication: A crisis arises
• Resolution: The crisis is resolved, for the better or for worse.
• Re-orientation: Optimal
• Evaluation: A stepping back to evaluate the plight  

Narrative text Grammatical features: 

• Use specific nouns such as the name of person, place and building
• Use adjectives which form noun phrases
• Use time connectives and conjunctions such as then, before that,soon
• Use adverbs and Adverbial Phrases
• Use action Verbs
• Use saying words such as said, told, promised.

Kind of Narrative Text

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. 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 W 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 :

•           Sangkuriang
•           Malin Kundang
•           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

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
• ·         Star ship Trooper by Robert Heinlein
• ·         A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke