This document defines and describes various literary genres including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. It outlines the main sub-genres of each such as fables, fairy tales, and fantasy for fiction; biography, autobiography, and reference for nonfiction; and ballads, lyrics, and epics for poetry. Key characteristics are provided for each genre and sub-genre to illustrate the defining features. Examples are also used to demonstrate how to match a work of literature to its proper genre. The document aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the different types of genres that make up literature.

1. Literary Genres
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2. What is a Literary Genre?
A “genre” is
a particular
style or type
of writing.
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3. Fiction
• Writing that tells about imaginary
people and events.
• Stories that are “made up”.
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4. Fiction’s
sub-genres
• Fables, Folktales, Fairytales
• Fantasy, Mystery
• Myth, Legend
• Historical Fiction
• Realistic Fiction
• Science Fiction
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5. •A short story, usually
with animal characters,
that teaches a lesson
about what is important
in life.
Fable
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6. Folk Tale
• Story told generation to
generation
• Sometimes different
versions in different
cultures
• Original storyteller is
unknown
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7. Fairy Tales
• Often begins with
“Once upon a time”
or “Long, long ago…”
• Includes a good
character and a
bad (evil)
character
• Includes magic
or something
enchanted
• The people live
happily ever after
• Setting is often
a forest or a
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8. Fantasy
• The author has
created a magical
world where anything
is possible.
• Fantasy may include
magical beings,
talking animals or
other impossibilities
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9. Myths
• Myths are early people’s way
to explain the universe.
• The gods, goddesses, and
heroes are super human in
nature.
• Human emotions are
experienced by the gods.
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10. Legend
• A story, handed down from
the past that people tell as
a “true story” but
sometimes the details are
difficult to confirm.
• Legends often contain a
moral or a lesson and are
told to uphold the values of
the community.
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11. Mystery
• Usually a crime has been
committed and the reader
wants to try to figure out
“who do it”.
• There is usually a great
deal of suspense and
intrigue.
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12. Historical Fiction
• Stories with fictional
characters and events
in a historical setting.
• The character may
interact with actual
historical characters.
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13. Realistic Fiction
• Stories that could
actually “happen” in
real life.
• The setting is realistic.
• The characters speak
and act like real people.
• The story describes
real-life problems and
events.
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14. Science Fiction
• Stories based on
real or imagined
inventions, space
travel or life in other
worlds, usually set
in the future.
• It often explores the
unknown. Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

15. Nonfiction
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• Accounts of real people, places and
events
• Fact, NOT fiction…
(that’s why it’s called NON-Fiction.

16. Nonfiction’s
sub-genres
• Biography
• Autobiography
• Reference
• Essay, Newspaper Article
• Speeches, Diaries, Letters
• Informational
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17. Biography
• A biography is a
true story about a
person’s life or
parts of his/her life.
• Written in 3rd
person point of view
(She,He,It)
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18. Autobiography
• Autobiographies
are books that
people write
about their own
life.
• Written in 1st
person point of
view (I, me, my)
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19. Informational Writing
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20. Poetry
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21. Poetry’s
sub-genres
• Songs and ballads
• Lyric
• Epic
• Dramatic
• Narrative
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22. Drama
• Presented to an audience
• Has a cast of characters
• Has a narrator
• Has acts or scenes
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23. Drama’s
sub-genres
• Tragedy
• Comedy
• History
• Melodrama
• Musical
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24. Match the “genre” of literature for each example….
1. A book titled “All About My Life”.
2. A story about two robots who
find a ray gun and take over the
planet.
3. “George Washington, the
President” by Adam Wessel.
4. Shaden dropped the magic ring
to the ground and said “Be gone
dragons!”
5. The moral of the story, The Ant
and the Grasshopper is “Plan
Ahead!”
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a) Fantasy
b) Fable
c) Science Fiction
d) Autobiography
e) Biography