Dr. Vijayalayan's Literature Notes

Basics of Drama Definition Drama may be defined as an articulate story presented in action. There are thus three aspects by which a drama could be defined. Firstly, there needs to be a story, that is, a sequence of events. Secondly, it is to be performed in the form of action. Drama unlike novel is not a narrative but a performative art. Thirdly, the enactment must be articulate (ie) in dispersed with dialogues. An enactment without dialogues is not a drama but a pantomime. Constituent Elements Fundamentally four elements are required to produce a drama. In the first place, we need an idea, the seed from which the plot is evolved. In the second, we need actors to perform the plot with action and dialogues. In the third, we need a space or venue where the performance could take place. Finally in the fourth, we need an audience to view the performance. Basic Types Broadly speaking, there are three types of drama. These are tragedy, comedy and tragicomedy. Tragedy is a serious

  BASICS OF NOVEL       Definition: A novel may be defined as a fiction in prose of 50,000 words or more. There are thus three aspects by which we could define a novel. Firstly it relates a fiction that is an imaginary narrative. Secondly, it is composed in the medium of prose, which is akin to practical speech. Thirdly, its minimum length is 50,000 words. The last of these aspects is critical for it is what that differentiates a novel from other similar forms of narrative works such as short story or novella. All these other narrative works essentially represent a fiction in prose. However they cannot be regarded as a novel as their length is relatively short.         Constituent Elements: There are basically four elements that constitute a novel. These are plot, character, point of view and milieu. We could perhaps call these four elements the ingredients that go into the making of a novel.     Plot: Plot may be explained as the causal arrangement of events. It i