genres of literature

a written account of an individual's life written by that individual himself

• fiction
• autobiography
• essay
• biography

a written account of an individual's life written by someone else

• essay
• biography
• autobiography
• tall tale

a play consisting of one or more acts; meant to be acted out by characters or read aloud by individuals portraying those characters

• biography
• non-fiction
• legend
• drama

a brief story or poem, usually containing animal characters; teaches a moral or a life lesson

• fable
• legend
• tall tale
• myth

fiction that is based on true events in time 

• realistic fiction
• historical fiction
• science fiction
• non-fiction

fiction that is based on very believable events which could have really happened

• novel
• short story
• science fiction
• realistic fiction

widely-told stories about the past that may or may not be factual; every culture has its own variations with familiar characters such as Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed and Davey Crockett

• essays
• novels
• legends
• short stories

fictional works that explain the actions of gods and goddesses; include explanations of the origins of the elements of nature; include bizarre creatures as major characters

• myths
• fables
• legends
• essays

literary works that are based on true information; not made up

• fables
• myths
• fiction
• non-fiction

a fictional work of longer length read during the course of several sittings; contains numerous characters and may have both a plot line and sub-pots running throughout

• short story
• novel
• novella
• tall tale