LITERARY GENRES

Definitions and characteristics

ALL FICTION

DRAMA

Stories composed in verse or prose, usually for

theatrical performance, where conflicts and emotion

are expressed through dialogue and action.

There are different types: tragedy, comedy,

tragicomedy….

FABLE

A short tale used to teach a moral lesson, often

with animals as characters, about recognizing and

overcoming their foibles; to critique authority figures

in humorous and anonymous ways; to poke fun.

The story is very brief, the main characters are

usually animals and are characterized quickly with a

few broad strokes.

FAIRY TALE

A fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature

folkloric characters (such as fairies, goblins, elves,

trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and

enchantments, often involving a far-fetched

sequence of events.

They have their roots in the oral tradition.

Fairy tales with very similar plots, characters, and

motifs are found spread across many different

cultures.

FANTASY

The definition of this fictional genre could be

described as something that contains rudiments that

are not realistic, such as magical powers, talking

animals, etc.

It represents that which is impossible

(unexplained) and outside the parameters of our

known, reality. Make-believe is what this genre is

all about.

FICTION

Narrative literary works whose content is

produced by the imagination and is not necessarily

based on fact.

There is also fiction in verse which are full-length

novels with plot, subplot(s), theme(s), major and

minor characters, in which the narrative is

presented in (usually blank) verse form.

FOLKLORE

The songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people

or "folk" as handed down by word of mouth.

HORROR

Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread in

both the characters and the reader.

It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere.

Horror can be either supernatural or non-

supernatural.

The genre has ancient origins which were

reformulated in the eighteenth century as Gothic

horror, with publication of the Castle of Otranto

(1764) by Horace Walpole.

SATIRES

A text that uses irony, sarcasm, and ridiculeto expose and

make fun of human follyand vice, to critique the status quo,

to make fun of others and the self, and to offer renewed

alternatives and possibilities for being different.

Something is being made fun of, irony is being used, there

is a tone of mockery or derision, perhaps the author seems

to be supporting a point of view that you cannot expect her

to seriously support.

LEGEND

It is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and

listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain

qualities that give the tale verisimilitude.

Legend, for its active and passive participants includes no happenings

that are outside the realm of "possibility", defined by a highly flexible

set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as

actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination

where the legend arises, and within which it may be transformed over

time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic.

MYSTERY

A subgenre of narrative fiction; often thought of as a detective

story.

Usually involves a mysterious death or a crime to be solved. In a

closed circle of suspects, each suspect must have a credible

motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime.

The central character must be a detective who eventually solves

the mystery by logical deduction from facts fairly presented to the

reader. This classic structure is the basis for hundreds of

variations on the form.

MYTHOLOGY

Legend or traditional narrative, often based in part

on historical events, that reveals human behavior

and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often

pertaining to the actions of the gods.

POETRY

Verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that creates emotional responses.

Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to

words, or to evoke emotive responses. Devices such as assonance,

alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve

musical or incantatory effects. The use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and

other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to

multiple interpretations.

Similarly, metaphor, simile and metonymy create a resonance between

otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections

previously not perceived.

ALL NON-FICTION

(AUTO)BIOGRAPHY

A subgenre of narrative nonfiction/historical nonfiction.

Presents the facts about an individual's life and makes an

attempt to interpret those facts, explaining the person's

feelings and motivations.

Good biographers use many research tools to gather and

synthesize information about their subject, including the

person’s words, actions, journals, reactions, related books,

interviews with friends…

NONFICTION

It is the form of any narrative, account, or other

communicative work whose assertions and

descriptions are understood to be factual.

This presentation may be accurate or not—that is,

it can give either a true or a false account of the

subject in question—however, it is generally

assumed that authors of such accounts believe them

to be truthful at the time of their composition or, at

least, pose them to their audience as historically or

empirically true.

SPEECH

The process of presenting or comprehending a reasoned

case. to inquire into problems and possible solutions, to

persuade or convince others to change belief or take action,

to try and get one’s way!

There is a need or desire for something new or for

something to change is expressed.

This assertion is supported through the use of evidence and

warrants explaining how the evidence leads to this claim.