This document provides a continuum of different genres of writing. At one end are narrative genres like fairy tales, fables, folktales, and myths. Moving along the continuum are realistic fiction, historical fiction, memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies. Further along are non-fiction genres like interviews, editorials, essays, magazine articles, theses, news stories, manuals, textbooks, reference works, and more informational genres.

1. Narr
ative
(stor
y)
Fant
asy
Fairy
tale/N
urser
y Rh
Fable ymes
/Para
ble
Folkt
ale
Pour
©Macomb Intermediate School District
quoi
Tale
Barbara Reed Nelson, November 4, 2004
Tall T
ale
Lege
nd
Myth
Myst
ery
Adve
nture
/Actio
n
Scien
ce Fi
ction
Real
istic
Fictio
n
Histo
rical
Fictio
n
Reco
unt
Mem
oir/D
iary
Auto
biogr
aphy
Biog
raph
y
Inter
view
Edito
rial
Essa
y
Feat
ure A
rticle
Thes
is
Maga
zine/
New
GENRE CONTINUUM
s Art
icle
New
s Sto
ry
How
-to M
anua
l Sch
Tech edule
nical
Writi
ng
Textb
ook
Alma
nac
Atlas
Dictio
nary
Ency
clope
dia
Expo
sitor
y (In
form
ation
al)