2. INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS A LITERARY GENRE? GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
• A category meant to • polysemy
describe the writing • radical ambiguity
style, technique, tone, • strong/poetic
length, and content of metaphor
certain literary forms. • connotation
• open/indeterminate
• less entropic
• potential messages
• noisy
3. MAIN GENRES
The literary genres in English do not have a clear or
specific division so we are going to divide them by
the most common one:
• Fiction (Historical fiction, science
Fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction)
• Non-fiction(Persuasive writing, informational
writing, autobiography, biography)
• Folklore (fairy tale, fable, myth, legend, tall tale)
• Drama (comedy, tragedy)
• Poetry
4. FICTION
• Writing that is a product of the imagination.
• It’s the form of any narrative or informative work that
deals, in part or in whole, with information or events
that are not factual, but rather, imaginary and
theoretical—that is, invented by the author.
• Elements of fiction: plot (what characters did, said
and thought), exposition (the fiction’s story initial
setup), foreshadowing (technique to provide clues to
predict what might occur later), rising action, climax
(greatest danger for the protagonist), falling
action, resolution, and conflict.
5. FICTION
• Historical Fiction: stories centered around the basis of a
partially historical situation or a novel set in a historical
period.
• Science Fiction: stories that often tell about science and
technology of the future. They involve partially true
fictions, laws or theories of science. Settings: in the future, in
space, on a different world, in a different universe or
dimension.
• Fantasy: contains elements that are not realistic: talking
animals, magical powers, often set in a medieval universe
or possibly involving mythical beings.
• Realistic Fiction: stories that take place in modern times.
Their characters are involved in events that could happen.
6. NON-FICTION
• This is informational text dealing with an actual, real-
life subject. This genre of literature offers opinions.
• It’s written for a specific audience, or group of
readers. In addition, it addresses a clear purpose, or
reason for writing. The audience and purpose
influence the type of information a writer includes.
• Tone: the author’s attitude toward the subject or
reader, is displayed through the writer’s word choice
and style.
• Nonfiction is narrated by an author who is a real
person.
• Story can not be manipulated by the author.
7. NON-FICTION
• Informational • Autobiography:
Writing: writing that The story of one’s life told by
oneself. Chronological
provides narration. Author offers a
information on a personal evaluation.
topic. • Biography:
• Persuasive Writing: The story of someone’s life
told by someone else.
writing that
attempts to
influence the
reader.
8. FOLKLORE
• It is a literary genre that include
beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people.
• Is marked by oral transmission, so it has the
characteristics of oral language.
• The concept of folk literature developed as part of
the 19th century ideology of romantic nationalism.
• Its audience is everybody.
9. FOLKLORE
Fairy tale Myths
• A Magic story which • Myths are symbolic tales
can not be of the distant past (often
true. Undefined time primordial times) that
and place. Characters concern cosmogony
that have no need to and cosmology (the
develop. There must be origin and nature of the
a character universe), may be
transformation; some connected to belief
kind of magic has to systems or rituals, and
take place. may serve to direct
social action and values.
10. FOLKLORE
Legend Tall tale
• It is a narrative of human • A tall tale is a special kind
actions that are of hero story because the
perceived both by teller heroes of tall tales are
and listeners to take place 'larger than life'. They are
within human history and bigger or stronger than
to possess certain qualities real people, even when
that give the tale the tall tale is based on a
verisimilitude. real person. Tall tale
Exaggerated characters & heroes solve problems in
events. Handed down by funny ways that are hard
tradition (maybe). to believe.
11. FOLKLORE
Fable
• It is a succinct fictional story, that features
animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate
objects or forces of nature which are
anthropomorphized. It illustrates or leads to an
interpretation of a moral lesson (a "moral"), which
may at the end be added explicitly in a pithy
maxim.
12. DRAMA
• It is a story written to be performed by actors in front
of an audience.
• The script includes stage directions that explain how
characters should look, speak, move, and behave.
• Plays are often divided into acts, which might be
divided into scenes, indicating a change in location
or the passage of time.
13. DRAMA
• Tragedy: they are • Comedy: It is a
used to describe deliberate
personal misfortunes presentation of
that do not concern events/experiences
the rest of the drawn from real life
society. but not the same
with real life. It
usually have a
happy end.
14. POETRY
• Imaginative awareness of experience expressed
through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language
choices so as to evoke an emotional response
• Imagery, word association, and the musical
qualities of the language used.
• Takes a certain form as in stanzas or group of lines.
• Poetry has a rythm - a more or less regularly
patterned- and uses to rhymes
• Figurative language
• Stylistic devices as
metaphors, simile, paradox, repetitions,...
