Types of Literature

Types of Literature

The 4 main literary genres

• poetry

• fiction

• nonfiction

• drama

• Each type of literature varies in style, structure, subject matter, and the use of figurative language.

• Each type also has specific characteristics that readers can expect to see

Let's Focus on FICTION

The types, genres

What is Fiction?

a narrative form, in any medium, consisting of people, events, or places that are imaginary—in other words, not based strictly on history or fact.

are written narratives in prose, which is a form of written (or spoken) language that usually exhibits a natural flow of  grammatical structure and speech.

Genres

• crime/mystery/detective fiction: fictionalises crimes, their detection, criminals, and their motives

• fantasy: uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element, theme, or setting

• romance: focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending."

• science fiction: speculative fiction dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life.

Genres

• Western:  about cowboys in western North America, set especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Historical fiction: the plot takes place in a setting located in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the depicted period. Some elements may be speculative or ahistorical.

• Horror: aims to frighten or disgust its readers. It is often mixed with other genres.

• Thriller: are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.

Types of Fiction

Novel

A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book.

Can you think of some examples?

Novella

A novella is a short novel, that is, a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than that of most novels, but longer than most short stories. 

Do you know of any novellas?

Also Animal Farm by George Orwell, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Short Story

A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents. It is significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel.

Have you read any short stories?

Traditional Fiction

Traditional literature is literature that has no known author and stories that have been handed down orally from one generation to the next, with each storyteller adding slight variations. 

These stories often tell of a culture's customs, values, and beliefs.  

These stories include folk, fairy, and tall tales, myths, legends, and fables. 

Traditional Fiction - Folktales

• no known author

• stories that were originally told rather than written and passed down from one generation to the next

• stories written down at a later time

• requently contains patterns of three or seven and repetitive phrases   

• Examples:  The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Anansi stories 

Traditional Fiction - Fairy Tales

• frequently begins with “Once upon a time...” and ends with “...and they lived happily ever after.” 

• long ago setting

• imaginary characters and events who must overcome a task or challenge 

• magic is used to solve problems

• good conquering evil 

• story is passed down from other generations

• Examples: Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood

Traditional Fiction - Fables

• very short story that contains a moral or lesson

• characters are often animals that act like people

• purpose of the story is to teach a lesson

• frequently ends with “...the moral of the story is..”

• Examples: Aesop's Fables - The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Lion and the Mouse

Traditional Fiction - Myths

• traditional story written to explain a people's beliefs, a natural event or the relationships of human beings and gods, goddesses, and heroes.  

• made up stories that try to explain how our world works or how we should treat each other.

• usually set in times long ago.

• answer questions like “How did our world come to be?” or “Why do tornadoes happen?”

• shared by groups of people and became part of their culture, passed on from generation to generation.

• Examples: Hercules, Odysseus

Traditional Fiction - Legends

• A folk story set in the present or the past based on real events or people. 

• stories about people and their actions

• people lived in more recent times and are mentioned in history

• stories are told for a purpose and are based on facts, but are not completely true    

• oral tradition stories that were told and retold for hundreds of years

• Examples:  Robin Hood or The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT a genre of literature?

• Fiction

• Poetry

• Drama

• Nonfiction

• Legends

Poll

What is your favourite fiction genre

• science fiction

• fantasy

• western

• crime/mystery

• romance

Multiple Choice

What is a Novella?

• a collection of stories

• something between a novel and a short story

• another name for a novel

• another name for a short story

Multiple Select

What are the subgenres of traditional fiction?

• young adult

• fairy tales

• children's books

• myths

• legends

Open Ended

Give an example of a Novel.

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of a Novella?

• Animal Farm

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

• Kite Runner

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between a Legend and a Myth?

• Myths tells us what people do while legends tell us why people do things.

• Myths are passed down from generation to generation, Legends are not.

• Myths are about real people whilst Legends are about fiction people from a time before history.

• Myths explain the relationships between humans and gods and Legends are based on real events or people.