Literature

- Books and other writing usually by expert authors

Literary Genres + Subgenres
Literary Genre
- Type or category of literature
Literary Subgenres
- Smaller group or category which comprises the main genre
Literature is classified into four genres:
A. Prose Fiction- a story that did not actually happen in real life
1. Fantasy- a story in a fantasy world (e.g. Harry Potter)
2. Folklore- old cultural stories which includes fairytales, fables,
myths, legends and tall tales
3. Historical- a fiction history based on real fiction (e.g. Gone with
the Wind by Margaret Mitchel)
4. Mystery- story about a crime
5. Realistic Fiction- a story that seems real but isn’t real (e.g. Jane
Eyre by Charlotte Bronte)
6. Romance- a love story
7. Science Fiction- a story in the future with the use of advance
technology (e.g. Hunger Games)
- it involves new technology and inventions
8. Thriller- or suspense is a story that makes readers nervous and
excited, or most likely anticipate with what’s going to happen next

B. Poetry- writing using language or sounds in special ways to express ideas

1. Lyric- a poem about the speaker’s thoughts
- most poems are lyrics (e.g. elegy, ode, sonnet and haiku)
2.
C. Drama- a play for theater told by character dialogue (usually talking)
1. Comedy- funny or humorous, drama with a happy ending (e.g. The
Comedy of Errors by SHAKESPEARE)
 2. Tragedy- sad drama with sad ending (e.g. Romeo and Juliet by
SHAKESPEARE)
OR
1. Tragicomedy- a play containing both tragedy and comedy
2. Melodrama- sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters
and exciting events to appeal to the emotions
D. Nonfiction Prose- writing that is factual and actually happened in real
life
1. Biography- story of a person’s life
2. Autobiography- a story the author writes about himself or herself
3. Narrative- a story or narrative that happened in real life
4. Periodicals- these are the magazines, newspapers, and journals that
are written regularly
5. Reference- books with facts in alphabetical order