This document discusses various genres of fiction including fantasy, science fiction, folklore, historical fiction, realistic fiction, and mystery. Fantasy includes subgenres like science fiction and folklore which contains folk tales, tall tales, fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends. Science fiction includes machines and possible scientific theories. Folklore stories are passed down orally and feature repetition and magic. Historical fiction places real people in imagined scenarios while realistic fiction depicts events that could plausibly happen. Mysteries center around solving puzzles, crimes, or getting secret information.

1. Genres in Fiction
Cheryl Youse
Colquitt County High School

2. Narrative writing tells a
story or part of a story
Fiction means the
story is NOT true
Genre means a type
or style of writing

3. Fantasy
• Has elements that are not realistic:
1. Talking animals
2. Magical powers
3. Mythical beings

4. • Fantasy can be divided further into:
1. Science fiction AND
2. Folklore, which includes:
Fantasy
• Folk Tales
• Tall Tales
• Fairy tales
• Fables
• Myths
• Legends

5. Science Fiction
• Like fantasy, but
generally includes
MACHINES
• Partly true scientific
theories
• Settings: space, the
future, a different
world, universe
• May be possible someday

6. FOLK TALES
• Fictional stories handed down by
retelling
• No known author
• “Once upon a time…”
• Repetition
• Numbers 3 or 7
• Transformations
• Trickery or magic

7. Fairy Tales
• Magic Rapunzel
• Enchantment
• Royalty
• Supernatural
• Original or have
named authors

8. Fables
• Very short stories
with a moral or
lesson
• Characters are
animals that act like
human
• They do not change
but do learn

9. Myths
• Stories told as if they
were fact
• Usually involve
gods, goddesses, sup
ernatural powers
• Happened a long
time ago
• Often deal with
creation of the world

10. Legends
• Set in historic, less-
remote past
• Based on real life
hero and his/her
deeds
• Not generally
religious
• Humans, not
gods, are main
characters

11. „Possible‟ Fiction
• Events that might or might have
happened
1. Historical Fiction
2. Realistic Fiction
3. Some Science Fiction

12. • Real person with imagined
accounts of what happened
• Real event with imaginary
person
Historical
Fiction

13. • Stories that
take place in
here and now
• Characters are
involved in
events that
could happen
Realistic Fiction

14. Mystery •
1.
2.
Has:
Strangeness
Solving a puzzle
3. Solving a crime
4. Centered around a
person who
investigates
problems
5. Centered around
person whose job
is to get secret
information

15. Genres in fiction can be:
• Fantasy
 Science Fiction
 Folklore
• „Possible‟ Fiction
 Historical Fiction
 Realistic fiction (contemporary)
• Mystery
• Some Science Fiction