Answer:
The essential difference between fiction and drama as genres was first articulated in Plato's Republic and then fleshed out in Aristotle's Poetics, despite fiction per se not having been invented (the generic distinction for Plato would have been epic vs. drama). Drama uses imitation by means of direct mimesis -- actors on stage pretend to be characters -- whereas fiction and epic imitate their objects by means of a mixture of diegesis (exposition or narration in the voice of a person talking about the action) and direct imitation. In antiquity, both epic and drama used verse rather than prose. The presence of meter only became central to the concept of genre with the invention of the ancient novel in the second sophistic. After the invention of extended fictional prose narrative, literary genres began to be distinguished by rhythmical form as well as a mode of imitation:
Drama: in verse or prose is still defined as a mimetic genre
Fiction: is prose narrative
Epic: long narrative poems
Lyric: shorter, often non-narrative poems
Explanation:
I hope this helps you out have a great day.
