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What is Genre in Literature ?
It means the type of art, literature or
music characterized by a specific form,
content and style. For example, literature
has four main genres; poetry, drama,
fiction and non- fiction.
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All of these genres have particular features
and functions that distinguish them from
one another. Hence, it is necessary on the
part of readers to know which category of
genre they are reading in order to
understand the message it conveys, as they
may have certain expectations prior to the
reading concerned.
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Types of Genre •
There are five types of genres in literature,
which include:
Poetry: It is the first major literary genre. All
types of poetry share specific characteristics. In
fact, poetry is a form of text that follows a
meter and rhythm with each lines and
syllables.
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Subdivided into different genres such an epic
poem, narrative, romantic, dramatic, and lyric.
Dramatic poetry includes melodrama, tragedy and
comedy, while other poems includes ode,sonnet,
elegy, ballad, song and epics.
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Famous examples of epic poems are Paradise Lost by
John Milton, The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
and romantic poem includes, Red Red Rose by Robert
Burns etc. All these poetic forms share specific
features such as they do not follow paragraphs or
sentences; they use stanzas and lines instead.
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Some forms follow very strict rules of length and number of stanzas
and lines such as villanelle, sonnet and haiku etc.
while some may be free like a free verse poem “Feelings, Now” by
Katherine Foreman that is devoid of any regular meter and rhyme
scheme. Besides that, often poetry uses figurative language like
metaphor, simile, onomatopoe ia, hyperbole, and alliteration, etc. to
create heightened effects.
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Kind of Stanzas
Couplet = a two line stanza
Triplet (Tercet) = a three line stanza
Quatrain = a four line stanza
Quintet = a five line stanza
Sestet (Sextet) = a six line stanza
Septet = a seven line stanza
Octave = an eight line stanza
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Drama is a form of text that is performed in front
of an audience. - It is also called a play. Its written
text contains dialogues, and stage directions.
This genre has further categories such as
comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy etc. William
Shakespeare is known as the father of English
drama.
Drama
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His well-known plays include Taming of the
Shrew, Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet,
while Greek playwrights were the pioneers in
this field such as Sophocles’ masterpiece is
Oedipus Rex and Antigone, while modern
dramas include Death of a Salesman by Arthur
Miller etc.
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Prose
Prose It is a kind of written text different from poetry
in that it has complete sentences organized into
paragraphs.
Unlike poetry, prose focuses on characters and plot
than focusing on sounds. It includes short stories
and novels, while fiction and non-fiction are its sub
genres. Prose is further categorized into essays,
speeches, sermons and interpretations.
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Kinds Of Prose
1. Fiction (Imagination)
2. Folktale
3. Parable
4. Fable
5. Legend
6. Fairy Tale
7. Cumulative Tales
8. Noodlehead Tales
9. Short Story
10.Novel
1.Non-Fiction (Real
Fact ) 2.Diaries
3. Journal
4.Essays
5.Article
6.Biography and
7.Autobiography
8. Literature
Review
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The Elements of Prose
1. Theme
2.Characters
3.Setting
4. Point of View
5.Setting of place
6. First person
7.Setting of time
8.Third person
9.Social setting
Plot : the initiating event, the rising action,
conflict, climax, falling action, and ending
with the resolution.
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Fiction -has three categories that are, realistic, non-
realistic and semi-fiction. Usually, fiction work is not
real and therefore, authors can use complex figurative
language to touch readers’ imagination. Unlike poetry,
it is more structured, follows proper grammatical
pattern and correct mechanics. A fictional work may
incorporate fantastical and imaginary ideas from
everyday life.
Fiction
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It comprises some important elements such as plot,
exposition, foreshadowing, rising action, climax,
falling action and resolution. The popular examples
of literary fiction include, James Joyce’s’ novel A
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Charles
Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Austen’s Pride and
Prejudice, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,
etc.
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Kinds of Fiction
Adventure
Fantasy
Historical
Horror
Humour
Realistic
Science Fiction
Sports Fiction
Graphic Novels
Mystery
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Non-fiction -is a vast category that also has sub-genres;
it could be creative like personal essay, and factual like
scientific paper. It may also use figurative language,
however, not abundantly like poetry, or fiction has.
Sometimes, it may tell a story like autobiography, or
sometimes it may convey the information to the
readers.
Non-Fiction
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The popular example of non-fiction genre is Michael
Pollan’s highly celebrated book, The Omnivore’s
Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, which is an
account about eating habits of Americans.
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Short story- brief fictional prose narrative
that is shorter than a novel and that
usually deals with only a few characters
.The short story is usually concerned with
a single effect conveyed in only one or a
few significant episodes or scenes.
Short story
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The form encourages economy of setting, concise
narrative, and the omission of a complex plot;
character is disclosed in action and dramatic
encounter but is seldom fully developed. Despite
its relatively limited scope, though, a short story is
often judged by its ability to provide a “complete”
or satisfying treatment of its characters and
subject.
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Journalism - is gathering, processing, and
dissemination of news, and information related to
news, to an audience. The word applies to the
method of inquiring for news, the literary style which
is used to disseminate it, and the activity (professional
or not) of journalism. The media that journalism uses
vary diversely and include: content published via
newspapers and magazines (print), television and
radio (broadcast), and their digital media versions
news websites and applications
Journalism
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The media that journalism uses vary
diversely and include: content published
via newspapers and magazines (print),
television and radio (broadcast), and their
digital media versions — news websites
and applications
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Essays Essay - are generally scholarly pieces of
writing giving the author's own argument, but the
definition is vague, overlapping with those of
anarticle, a pamphlet and a short story. Essays can
consist of a number of elements, including: literary
criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments,
observations of daily life, recollections, and
reflections of the author.
Essays Essay
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Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works
in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's
An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While
brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like
John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of
Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g.,
the United States and Canada), essays have become a
major part of formal education.
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Secondary students are taught structured essay
formats to improve their writing skills; admission
essays are often used by universities in selecting
applicants, and in the humanities and social
sciences essays are often used as a way of
assessing the performance of students during
final exams.The concept of an "essay" has been
extended to other mediums beyond writing.
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Function of Genre Depending upon their types,
different genres have different roles. For example,
fiction and dramatic genres help students and
writers learn and improve their communication
skills. A poetic genre, on the other hand,
enhances imaginative and emotional power of
the readers.
Function of Genre
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Non-fictional texts and essays help
readers develop analytical and persuasive
capabilities. However, the major function
of genre is to establish a code of
behaviour between the writers and
audience, and keep the readers informed
about the topics discussed or the themes
presented.
