Literary Genres

Genre

• A type of something

• Literary Genre: a type of literature

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

• Fiction literature is made up from the imagination

• FICTION - FAKE• Non-Fiction literature is actual or

real• NON-FICTION – NOT FAKE

(REAL)

Different types of Fiction• Historical fiction

– An imagined story with a real setting during an important event in history

– EX. “Number the Stars” is about an imaginary character but the setting is during WWII that really happen in history

– EX. “I Survived” is about imaginary characters but the setting is the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, which is a real historical event.

– EX. “Red Badge of Courage” is about imaginary characters but the setting is the American Civil War.

• Realistic fiction– An imagined story that could actually happen, but it did

not.– EX. “Shiloh” is about a boy and his dog. There is nothing

in the story that is out of this world and it is not set during an important historical event. The entire story is fake, but based on things that could actually happen.

– EX. “Anne of Green Gables” is about an orphaned girl who gets adopted. The story is fake, but it is based on things that naturally occur in life.

– EX. “Hatchet”

Different types of Fiction

• Science fiction– An imagined story including space or advanced

technology.– EX. “Star Wars” “Star Trek” “Tron”– EX. “Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by

Douglas Adams– EX. “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Arthur C

Clarke

Different types of Fiction

• Fantasy

• An imagined story including magic and fictional people and creatures– EX. “Tuck Everlasting” is about a family that drinks

from a pool that keeps them living forever (magic.)– EX. “Harry Potter” is about a boy wizard who encounters

all sorts of magic and magical creatures.– EX. “Alice in Wonderland” is about a girl who visits a

magical land populated by magical creatures.– EX. “Chronicles of Narnia”

Different types of Fiction

• Mythology– Imagined stories about gods and heroes meant to

entertain, teach a lesson or explain nature.– EX. “Hercules” is about a demi-god that destroys all

sorts of evil creatures to win favor among the gods.– EX. “Dedalus and Icurcus” teaches a lesson to follow

the advice of the older and wiser.– EX. “Demeter and Persephone” is about how gods

make the seasons change.

Different types of Fiction

• Biography

– An account of a real person’s actual life.

– Bio = life

– Written by someone else.

– EX. “Quiet Strength” is about Rosa Parks, written by Gregory J. Reed.

– EX. “Genius” is about Albert Einstein, written by Marfe Ferguson Delano

Different types of Non-Fiction

Different types of Non-Fiction

• Autobiography

–An account of a real person’s actual life.

–Written by themselves, “auto” means “self”

–Auto + Bio = Self + Life

Different types of Non-Fiction

• Informational Text

–Text that gives true, factual information

–EX. Articles from Newspapers and essays

–EX. Textbooks

Drama

• Literature written to be performed by actors on a stage.

• Written in lines assigned to each character.

• EX. “Annie”

• EX. “Romeo and Juliet”

• EX. “The Importance of Being Earnest”

RON: I reckon you'd have to be barking mad to put your own name in the goblet of fire.

HARRY: Caught on have you. Took you long enough.

RON: Wasn't just me who thought you'd done it. Everyone was saying it behind your back.

HARRY: Brilliant. That makes me feel loads better.

RON: At least I warned you about the dragons.

HARRY: Hagrid warned me about the dragons.

RON: Oh no no, I did. Don't you remember? I told Hermione to tell you that Seamus told me that Parvati told Dean that Hagrid was looking for you. Seamus never actually told me anything, so it was really me all along. I thought you'd be alright, you know, after you figured that out.

Poetry• Literature written in lines and stanzas mean

to express thoughts, feelings and images using figurative language and sound devices.

• “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns uses similes to express himself.