This page offers students a look into various types of literary genres.
|
A genre is a group or collection of books with a similar theme or style.
Genre is a French term derived from the Latin genus, generis, meaning "type," "sort," or "kind." It designates the literary form or type into which works are classified according to what they have in common, either in their structures or in their treatment of subject matter, or both.
Fiction includes stories that are made up in the mind of the author. They are “make-believe” or imaginary. The stories are not true, although they may be based on truth, including scientific, historical, or geographic fact.
Some of the major subdivisions of fiction are ...
Nonfiction books are books are factual books, and are usually classified with Dewey Decimal numbers There are some special genres within the nonfiction category, such as biography, poetry, drama, and folk or traditional literature.
Cross-genre books are books that fall into more than one category. A book may be a mystery fantasy; or a historical fiction time travel story. An example is Ted & Me, by Dan Gutman, which is a story that includes time travel back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor while the main character lives in modern times.
Some of the major subdivisions of fiction are ...
- Realistic fiction includes stories that seem like real life, and stories that could happen in today’s world. The situations are true to life or could be true, but the characters are made up.
- Adventure stories are a type of realistic fiction that are exciting and usually have an aspect of peril, threat, or danger. Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is an adventure story.
- Mystery stories are also a type of realistic fiction that include an element of suspense and secrecy. Something puzzling usually needs solving and a crime is frequently involved. There are typically good guys and bad guys. Examples are Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth, by Donald Sobol and Murder at Midnight, by Avi.
- Humorous stories refer to stories that are primarily intended to entertain and amuse. Events are frequently exaggerated. An example is Lawn Boy, by Gary Paulsen. These may also include family stories such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel, by Jeff Kinney and school stories such as Wayside School is Falling Down, by Louis Sachar.
- Historical fiction includes stories that take place in the past and that are based on historical fact. Usually the setting and the events in the story are close to the facts, but the characters are made up. However, historical fiction may include real people as characters. Examples of books with real people included among the characters are Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes and Assassin, by Anna Myers. War stories and biographical fiction are types of historical fiction.
- War stories are historical fiction books set during a period of war and conflict. Examples are Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, and Under the Blood-Red Sun, by Graham Salisbury.
- Biographical fiction includes stories in which the main character is one who really lived in an earlier period of history. The “Dear America” and “My Name Is America” series are biographical fiction stories written in a journal style.
- Fantasy books are make believe stories that are so fantastic that they can't possibly be true.
- Fantasy animal stories are stories in which the animals are given human characteristics, such as wearing clothing, speaking or making decisions. Examples are Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White and Babe the Gallant Pig, by Dick King-Smith.
- Ghost stories or supernatural fiction are stories in which one or more of the characters may be visitors from the spirit world. Examples are Breathe, by Cliff McNish; and Wait Till Helen Comes, by Mary Hahn.
- Time fantasy and space fiction are fantasy stories in which the characters travel back and/or forward in time. Examples are The Book of Time, by Guillaume Provost and Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
- High fantasy series are stories that are epic in nature, usually include a quest of some sort that continues over many volumes, including many that echo the Arthurian quests for truth and justice. Series such as C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series, Lloyd Alexander’s Prydian cycle, and T.A. Barron's The Great Tree Avalon series are in that category. The Star Wars saga and the Harry Potter series are also in this genre.
- Science fiction includes stories that are based on scientific fact. It can include space fiction and time travel. In time travel and space fiction, the characters travel back and/or forward in time. In stories for children, the characters often begin in the real world, go off on their adventure, and then return to the real world. The author tries to make the facts as realistic as possible so the reader believes the event could actually take place. Although fantastic, science fiction contains elements within the realm of possibility because of scientific discovery. Examples are The Giver, by Lois Lowry and Running Out of Time, by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Nonfiction books are books are factual books, and are usually classified with Dewey Decimal numbers There are some special genres within the nonfiction category, such as biography, poetry, drama, and folk or traditional literature.
- Biographies are, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, “the history of the lives of individual men and women as a branch of literature.” Biographies for children differ somewhat from biographies for adults. For example, they don’t usually include footnotes, although modern biographies for children usually include a bibliography of sources. Whereas fictionalized biographies are included in historical fiction, factual, authentic depictions of a person's real life story are biographies. Collective biographies are books that group short chapter-length biographies together around a theme. For example, Heroes of the Revolution, by David Adler, a collective biography of important American statesmen such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Paul Jones and Paul Revere. Biographies are written by persons other than the subject of the story, whereas autobiographies are books people write about their own lives.
- Poetry includes single, illustrated poems (such as Hiawatha, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and collections of poetry by one poet (such as Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein) or collections of many poets’ works compiled by an editor (such as The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, edited by Jack Prelutsky).
- Drama includes works written in dramatic form. Books can include collections of short plays or book-length plays, such as the works of Shakespeare.
- Folk literature or traditional literature includes stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Myths are stories of the gods and heroes of ancient times, and are sometimes classified in the religion section of the Dewey Decimal Classification System (292), whereas folktales, folk riddles, nursery rhymes and Mother Goose are classified in 398, 398.2, or 398.21. These stories often contain elements of cultural identity, such as traditions, cultural mores, and rituals. Sometimes, elements of religious belief of the people are included. Epics are long stories that originate as poetry or song and that celebrate a national hero. Beowulf is an epic, as are The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer. Hero stories and legends include the American tall tales, such as stories of Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill. Tall tales usually include hyperbole, or exaggeration, about the hero. European hero stories and legends include stories of Robin Hood and King Arthur and his knights, many including elements of mythology within the stories.
- Fables includes narration demonstrating a useful truth, especially in which animals speak as humans. A legendary, supernatural tale.
Cross-genre books are books that fall into more than one category. A book may be a mystery fantasy; or a historical fiction time travel story. An example is Ted & Me, by Dan Gutman, which is a story that includes time travel back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor while the main character lives in modern times.
You can help! Keeping the links on a website up-to-date is a very difficult thing for one person to do. So I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know (by clicking here) if you find links that are no longer active. Plus, if you find any new cool educational sites, let me know about those too, Thanks.
~Mrs. S.
~Mrs. S.