List of literary genres in North America

2. Literary
Genre of
North
America

3. Classic
That has become part of
the accepted literary
Canon,mostly taught in
school.

4. Comic magazine or
book based on a
sequence of pictures
and few words.
Comics/Graphic
Novel

5. Crime/Detective
Fiction about a
crime. How the
criminal gets
caught,and the
repercussions of
the crime.

6. Fable
Legendary,
supernatural tale
demonstrating a
useful truth.

7. Fairytale
Story about fairies or
other magical
creatures.

8. Fanfiction
Written by a fan featuring
characters from a particular
TV series, movie, or book.
Commonly found online
platforms such as Wattpad.

9. Fantasy
In an unreal setting
that often includes
magic, magical
creatures, or the
supernatural.

10. Folklore
Songs,stories,myths,
and proverbs of a
group of people
handed down by
word of mouth.

11. Historical
Fiction
Story that has a
fictional charater
and events that set
to happen in a
historical setting.

12. Horror
Fiction in which
events evoke a
feeling of dread and
sometimes in both
the characters and
the reader.

13. Humor
Fiction full of fun,fancy,
and excitement, meant
to entertain , and
sometimes cause
intended laughter; It
can be contained in all
genres.

14. Legend
Sometimes, it tells
about a national
hero or folk hero. It
has a basis in facts
but also includes
imginative material.

15. Magical Realism
Story where
magical or unreal
elements play a
natural part in an
otherwise realistic
environment.

16. Meta Fiction
Uses techniques to
draw attention to
itself as awork of
art, while exposing
the truth of a story.

17. Mystery
Fiction dealing with
the solution of a
crime or the revealing
of secrets.

18. Legend or traditional
narrative ,often based
in part on historical
events, that reveals
human behavior and
natural phenommena
by it's symbolism
often pertaining to
the actions of the
Gods.
Mythology

19. Mythopeia
Characters from
religious
mythology,
traditional myths,
folklore and/ or
histroy are recast
into a re-imagined
realm created by
the author.

20. A book with a few
words and mostly
pictures. It's
usually made for
children.
Picture Book

21. Realistic Fiction
Story that
happens in real
life.

22. Science Fiction
Story based on the
impact of actual,
imagined or potential
science, often set in the
future or on other
planets.

23. Short Story
Fiction of great
brevity, usually
supports no
subplots

24. Fiction about
to befall a
person or
group that
attempts made
to evade harm.
Suspense/
Thriller

25. Humorous story with
blatant
exaggerations , such
as swaggering
heroes who do the
impossible with
nonchalance.
Tall Tale

26. Fiction set in the
American Old West
Frontier and
typically in the late
18th to 19th century.
Western

27. Biography
A narrative of a
person's life it can
be written by the
person itself
(Autobiography) or
by the others.

28. Essay
A short literary
composition that
reflects the
author's outlook
or point.

29. Owner's Manual
An instrumental
book or booklet that
is supplied with
consumer products
such as vehicles,
appliances, firearms,
toys, and computer
peripherals.

30. Journalism
Reporting on
news and
current events.

31. Lab Report
A report of an
experiment.

32. Memoir
Factual story that
focuses on a
significant
relatioship
between the
writer and a
person ,place, or
object ;reads like
a short novel.

33. Narrative Fiction/
Personal Narrative
Factual story
that focuses on
a significant
relatioship
between the
writer and a
person ,place,
or object ;reads
like a short
novel.

34. Self-help Book
Information with
the intention of
instructing readers
in solving personal
problems.

35. Reference Book
Such as a
dictionary,
thesaurus,
encyclopedia,
almanac, and
atlas.

36. Speech
Public address
or discourse

37. Textbook
Authoritative and
detailed factual
description of a
topic.

38. Genre
Fiction
Literary
Fiction
is classified as novels that have
literary merit.
is known as popular, commercial or
category fiction.

39. LITERARY FICTION VS GENRE
FICTION
Literary Fiction
• aims to provide insight that
creates a stronger
understanding of the world and
of the human condition.,
• has more carefully-crafted
sentences, often relies heavily
on symbolism and is character-
driven.
• is classified as novels that have
literary merit.
Genre Fiction
• fiction can tackle complex
themes as well, but it’s more of
an entertaining story that allows
the reader to escape from
reality.
• In contrast, genre fiction uses an
accessible writing style to
deliver a fast-paced plot.
• is known as popular, commercial
or category fiction.