The following presents an essay about narrative and non-narrative arts. Specifically, how the narrative arts different from and are similar to non-narrative arts is discussed and exemplified. This is followed by a summary and conclusions.
Narrative arts tell a story while non-narrative arts do not, which distinguishes the two types of arts. However, each is similar in that each includes multiple types and sources of arts. Sporre (2006) noted the many different mediums and art forms to be had. However, while both the narrative arts and the non-narrative arts can include the same medium for example a picture or sculpture, which is similar, whether the art example tells a story or not depicts whether it is viewed as narrative or non-narrative. This means that it is not always easy to determine if an art is narrative or not since interpretation may define the art piece one way or the other in some instances. Thus, the distinction between the two may be up to the interpreter.
Any medium used to express art can be either narrative or non-narrative. While fine arts may be viewed as non-narrative since they might not have a storyline, and a film or book might be viewed as narrative since it does have a story to tell, any of these pieces of art can be viewed as narrative or non-narrative. Thus, even a book can be non-narrative and a picture can be narrative depending on the elements found in the work. The medium is not what defines the work as narrative or non-narrative. Instead it is the storyline that distinguishes one from the other.
A work of art with a story has elements that a work of art that lacks a narrative also has. One of these elements is the medium itself and the same medium can be found in both the narrative and non-narrative work of art. For example, a picture in a book would be part of a story line and the same picture out of a book may not be telling a story. However, one key diff...