To
understand literary genres, the first thing we need is a definition of the word
literature.
What is literature?
Literature means books and other
writing, usually by expert authors.
Let’s talk about the definition of
literary genre.
What is a literary genre?
A
genre is a type or category, and literary means of literature, so a literary
genre is a type or category of literature.
There are four main literary genres;
1.
Drama
2.
Fiction
3.
Nonfiction
4.
Poetry
Drama:
Drama
is a play for theater told by character dialogue or talking. We can read drama
and we can also watch it.
Fiction:
Fiction
is a story that did not actually happen in real life.
An
example of a very famous story that fiction is Twilight. We know Twilight is
fiction because it's about vampires, which aren't real.
Nonfiction:
Nonfiction is writing that is real and factual or that actually
happened. An example of nonfiction is any textbook you read in school, such as
a science textbook or history textbook.
Poetry:
Poetry is writing using language and sounds in special ways to
express ideas.
Here's
a very simple and maybe even silly example of poetry.
"The
rose is red.
The
violet's blue.
Sugar
is sweet,
and
so are you."
These
words are told in a way that rhyme and have rhythm. Someone can hear these
verses that poetry is read differently than fiction, nonfiction, or drama.
These
genres have sub-genres.
Sub-genre:
A sub-genre is a smaller group or category. Drama has two sub-genres. These are comedy and tragedy.
Comedy:
A comedy is a funny or humorous drama with a happy ending. One
example of a very famous comedy is The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare.
Tragedy:
A tragedy is a sad drama with a sad ending. An example of a very
famous tragedy is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Sub-genres of fiction:
The
genre of fiction has several sub-genres.
1.
Fantasy
2.
Folklore
3.
Historical
fiction
4.
Mystery
5.
Realistic
fiction
6.
Romance
7.
Science
fiction
8.
Thriller
Fantasy:
Fantasy is a story in a fantasy world or a world that isn't real. An
example of fantasy is the Harry Potter books. Harry Potter's world is full of
magic and wizards. That's why it's fantasy.
Folklore:
Folklore is old cultural stories. These include fairytales, fables,
myths, legends, and tall tales. Every country and culture has its own folklore.
An example of folklore in Pakistani culture is of Heer Ranjha.
Historical fiction:
This is a fiction story based on real history. One famous example of
historical fiction is the novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
This story takes place during the Civil War in US history. So the Civil War
actually happened, but the characters in Gone with the Wind were not
real, and what happened in the lives of the characters also was not real,
although it was based on real history.
Mystery:
Mystery is another sub-genre of fiction. A mystery is a story about
a crime. Here's an example of mystery is Then She Was Gone by Lisa
Jewell, is a story about a girl who disappears. During this story, detectives
and people living in the town she was in try to find where the girl is and what
happened to her.
Realistic fiction:
This is a story that seems real but isn't real. Realistic fiction
is set in modern times, and it's about characters that seem like real people. A
well-known example of realistic fiction is the story Jane Eyre by Charlotte
Bronte. The main character, Jane Eyre, has a difficult childhood as a young
girl. She grows up to work in the home of a man named Mr. Rochester. It looks
Jane Eyre seems like a real person. So does Mr. Rochester. But they're not
real. It is realistic fiction because it seems true.
Romance:
Romance is a love story. The novel A Perfect Gentleman is an
example of a romance.
Science fiction:
Science fiction is a story in the future with advanced technology.
One well-known example of science fiction is The Hunger Games by Suzanne
Collins. This story takes place about 100 years into the future and involves a
character named Katniss who is 16 years old. The government forces her and many
other young people to battle each other in an event called The Hunger Games,
which leaves only one survivor.
Sometimes science fiction can get confused with fantasy. The main
difference between science fiction and fantasy is that science fiction is in a
future world that has some similarities with our current world. It involves new
inventions and technology. Whereas fantasy happens in a world that is
impossible, a world where, for example, animals talk or other impossible things
happen.
Thriller:
Thriller or suspense is a story that makes readers nervous, excited,
or even scared as they read. An example of a thriller is The Girl with No
Past by Kathryn Croft.
In this story, readers learn secrets about a girl who appears in a
town. The secrets they learn make readers feel nervous, excited, and sometimes scared
as they read.
Sometimes a thriller or suspense can be confused with a mystery,
but actually mysteries are different from thrillers. The goal of a mystery is
to solve a crime and figure out who did the crime. In a thriller, sometimes
there was no crime, or readers already know at the beginning that did the
crime. The goal of the thriller is to thrill the audience by revealing secrets
as the audience reads the book.
Sub-genres of nonfiction:
Important
five sub-genres of nonfiction are;
1.
Biography
2.
Autobiography
3.
Narrative
4.
Periodicals
5.
Reference
materials
Biography:
Biography is a story of a person's life. An example of a well-known
biography is about the life of Albert Einstein, the famous scientist. It's
written by the biographer or author Walter Isaacson.
Autobiography:
Autobiography is a story the author writes about himself or
herself. An example of a famous autobiography is The Autobiography of
Benjamin Franklin. It is a book that Benjamin Franklin wrote about his
own life.
Narrative:
Narrative nonfiction is a story or narrative that happened in real
life. An example of narrative nonfiction is the book called Turn Right at
Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. This book tells stories about explorers who
rediscovered the place called Machu Picchu. The stories in this book are real. They
actually happened. The characters are real, the places are real, and the events
are real. That is what makes them narrative nonfiction instead of fiction.
Periodical:
Periodicals are magazines, newspapers, and journals that are written
regularly. All of those things are called periodicals. The most common type of
periodical is a daily newspaper.
Reference materials:
These are books with facts in alphabetical order. Examples include
a dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia. Dictionaries list words in alphabetical
order along with their meanings.
Sub-genres of poetry:
The
sub-genres of poetry are;
1.
Lyric
2.
Narrative
3.
Dramatic
poetry
Lyric:
The most popular and common sub-genre of poetry is the lyric or a
poem about the speaker's thoughts.
Examples
of lyrics include;
·
Elegy
·
Ode
·
Sonnet
In lyric
poems poet uses syllables and sounds to express thoughts in a special way that
is different from fiction, nonfiction, and drama.
Narrative:
Another sub-genre of poetry is narrative or a poem that tells a
story. There are a few types of narratives, but one of them is an epic or a
long poem about a hero. One famous example of an epic is Beowulf. Beowulf is an
old poem that is about 3,000 lines long. It tells the story about a hero named
Beowulf. Beowulf was a warrior who saves the king from a monster named Grendel.
Usually epics include lots of battles and fights that the hero wins in the end.
Dramatic poetry:
Dramatic poetry is words spoken by a character. It is mostly
appears in the genre like drama or plays. Three examples of dramatic poetry
are;
·
Soliloquy
·
Dialogue
·
Monologue
William Shakespeare was a very famous drama writer; he is also responsible for many of the soliloquies, dialogues, and monologues.
0 Comments