Genres of Literature

A story that uses made-up characters that could actually happen in life.

• Realistic Fiction

• Memoir

• Historical Fiction

• Poetry

A story of a real person's life that is written by that person.

• Autobiography

• Biography

• Historical Fiction

• Realistic Fiction

A story with impossible elements such as talking animals or magical powers. Make-believe is what this genre is all about.

• Fairy Tale

• Science Fiction

• Fantasy

• Fable

A story of a real person's life written by another person.

• Autobiography

• Biography

• Historical Fiction

• Realistic Fiction

A story with elements that are impossible and uses science and technology such robots, time machines, etc.

• Fantasy

• Dystopian

• Science Fiction

• Fairy Tale

A story that intends to induce amusement or laughter and brings to light the funny side of life.

• Humor

• Fantasy

• Realistic Fiction

• Horror

A story that takes place in a particular time period in the past. Often the setting is real, but the characters are made up from the author's imagination.

• Autobiography

• Biography

• Historical Fiction

• Realistic Fiction

A story intended to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle by inducing feelings of terror.

• Humor

• Dystopian

• Realistic Fiction

• Horror

A verse written to create a response of thought and feeling from the reader, using rhythm and rhyme to help convey its meaning.

• Mystery

• Memoir

• Realistic Fiction

• Poetry

A novel-length story told through the medium of poetry rather than prose.

• Graphic Novel

• Novel in Verse

• Memoir

• Realistic Fiction