Concise Notes on Style, Genre, Aesthetic, and Point of View

Style

• Refers to the distinct way an author expresses ideas.

• Influenced by word choice, sentence structure, tone, and literary devices.

• Can be formal, casual, poetic, direct, elaborate, or minimalist.

• Other stylistic choices include genre, aesthetic, and point of view.

Genre

• A category defined by specific themes, settings, and conventions (e.g., fantasy, mystery, science fiction).

• Conventions: Recurring elements that establish expectations for characters, structures, and themes.

• Writers may subvert conventions to create original stories, like a detective who is the criminal.

Aesthetic

• Refers to the overall style, mood, and sensory experience within a story.

• Can be unique to one author or widely adopted by others.

• Includes specific moods and tones:

• Gritty: Harsh, realistic, featuring moral dilemmas.

• Nostalgic: Longing for the past, warm tones.

• Whimsical: Playful and lighthearted.

• Melancholic: Reflective, evoking sadness.

• Surreal: Blurring reality and fantasy.

How to Borrow Aesthetics

• Pastiche: Imitates the style of another work as tribute.

• Homage: References another work without imitation.

Point of View (POV)

• The perspective from which a story is told, crucial for shaping understanding.

• Influences reader connection with characters and story events.

• Types of POV include:

• Unreliable Narrator: Not fully trustworthy (e.g., The Tell-Tale Heart).

• Epistolary: Told through letters or documents (e.g., Dracula).

• Stream-of-Consciousness: Direct thoughts of a character (e.g., Ulysses).

• Multiple POVs: Switches between characters' perspectives (e.g., Game of Thrones).