 Genres of literature are divided into (2) categories  Non-Fictions are informational texts dealing with real-life subjects › Real or Actual  Fictions are narrative literary works produced by the imagination › Made-Up

 Remember: Fact or Fiction

 Essays  Biographies  Autobiographies  Speeches  Text Books

 A short literary composition that reflects the author’s outlook or point  Usually analytic, speculative, or interpretive › Makes a judgment on something Example: Anything by David Sedaris and Chuck Pahlunuk’s Stranger than Fiction

 A written account of another person’s life › Somebody wrote about someone else Example: John Adams by David McCullough

 A history of a person, written or spoken by the same person  Usually a narrative  Usually inaccurate › Recreates events › History Example: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

 Expressions of thoughts and emotions by speech, sounds, and gestures Examples: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Malcolm X’s “Who Taught You to Hate Yourself” speech

 Drama  Poetry  Short Story  Fantasy  Fable  Fairy Tales  Science Fiction  Realistic Fiction  Historical Fiction  Tall Tale  Legend  Mythology

 Composed for theatrical performance  Conflicts and emotion are expressed through dialogue and action Examples: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Richard III, Wicked, and The Lion King

 Verse and rhythmic writing  Imagery evokes an emotional response  Visually interesting  Interesting word choice (diction)  May or may not follow a rhyme scheme  Various types of poems › Haikus, epics, etc. Examples: Tim Michin

 Brief work of fiction  One central story without subplots  Contemporary short stories are oftentimes published in collections or magazines Example: Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man’s Hard to Find”

 Incorporates fantastical, magical, imaginative creatures or settings in a way that is essential  Suspension of disbelief Example: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

 Have similar characteristics to fantasy, but usually teach a moral or lesson  Fables usually have animals or inanimate objects as the main characters  Fairy tales employ goblins, fairies, trolls, etc. Example: Grimm’s Fairy Tales

 Based on the impact of potential science (actual or imagined)  Sometimes set in the future, alternate realities, or other planets Example: William S. Burroughs’s John Carter of Mars

 Can happen in real life

 Fictional characters  Fictional events  Has a historical setting

 Exaggerated story  Usually humorous  Heroes achieve impossible feats  Legends are people who actually existed, but have stories told about them that contain imagined material Can you think of any examples?

 Explanation of natural phenomena  Human nature  Pertains to the actions of the gods  Shows a model of behavior