Is there a term for the kind of story where...

[LAS14]

... the point is some abstraction and the characters and scenery work toward that end? Something on the spectrum of Pilgrim's Progress and The Trial? I need to critique a short story and I want to ask the author if their intention is to create a realistic story or to illustrate an abstract point.

TIA
LAS

[Nay]

1. An allegory.

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
"Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey"

[LAS14]

2. Yeah. I meant something that is not quite allegory, where there isn't the direct, specific...

... link you find in Pilgrim's Progress. But not slice of life either... more toward The Trial by Kafka, but not necessarily weird.

[Scrivener7]

3. Picaresque?

[LAS14]

4. I don't think so. Is this the definition you had in mind?

"relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero."

[ReluctanceTango]

6. Philosophical Literature/Fiction

I realize this is a late response, but that's the term you're looking for. It's how Kafka's Trial is usually classified.

[LAS14]

7. Thanks! nt