Literary Genres Fiction & Non-Fiction

Fiction (Narrative) Prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events. Short stories and novels are works of fiction. Non-fiction

NON-FICTION (EXPOSITORY ) Is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, or events. Autobiographies, biographies, essays, reports, letters, memos, and newspaper articles are some the types of non-fiction. fiction

Fiction (Narrative) Drama Fable Fairy Tale Fantasy Folklore Historical Fiction Horror Humor Legend Mystery Mythology Poetry Realistic Fiction Science Fiction Short Story Tall Tale Non-fiction

DRAMA Like a novel or a short story, a drama tells a story and includes such elements as character, setting, plot, and theme. It is written to be performed. The written form is called a script and the author is called a playwright.

FABLE are stories that feature animals that speak and act like humans. Fables teach morals, or lessons about how to live.

FAIRY TALE A folktale that usually includes magical elements.

FANTASY Highly imaginative fiction that uses strange or unusual characters, setting or plot. It contains elements not found in real life.

FOLKLORE Also known as folk tales; these are stories about ordinary people. Like myths, these stories reveal the traditions and values of a culture. These are passed down by word of mouth (there are an oral tradition)

HISTORICAL FICTION a fictional story set in the past.

HORROR Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread in both the characters and the reader.

HUMOR is writing that is meant to evoke laughter.

LEGEND Are stories that are believed to be based on real-life events and feature larger-than- life people.

MYSTERY Fiction that includes secrets or crimes to be solved.

MYTHOLOGY Are anonymous stories involving gods and goddesses. They stress cultural ideals or explain natural occurrences.

POETRY Verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that creates emotional responses.

REALISTIC FICTION Story that can actually happen and is true to real life. Set in present time.

SCIENCE FICTION Story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science or technology, usually set in the future or on other planets.

SHORT STORY Brief work of fiction. Like a novel, it has a sequence of events, or plot.

TALL TALE A folktale that is usually humorous and usually assumed to be untrue. It includes characters doing impossible things and includes exaggerations.

NON-FICTION (EXPOSITORY ) Autobiography Biography Informational fiction

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Is a form of nonfiction in which a person tells his or her own life story. It can tell about the whole life or part of the person’s life.

BIOGRAPHY Is a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person. Most are about famous historical and contemporary people.

INFORMATIONAL Nonfiction writing about a topics, including books and newspaper of magazine articles. What else might it include?