Major Genres of Literature

The essential difference between fiction and drama as genres was first articulated in Plato's
Republic and then fleshed out in Aristotle's Poetics, despite fiction per se not having been invented (the
generic distinction for Plato would have been epic vs. drama). Drama uses imitation by means of direct
mimesis -- actors on stage pretend to be characters -- whereas fiction and epic imitate their objects by
means of a mixture of diegesis (exposition or narration in the voice of a person talking about the action)
and direct imitation.

In antiquity, both epic and drama used verse rather than prose. The presence of meter only
became central to the concept of genre with the invention of the ancient novel in the second sophistic.
After the invention of extended fictional prose narrative, literary genres began to be distinguished by
rhythmical form as well as mode of imitation. Drama: in verse or prose is still defined as a mimetic,
Fiction: is prose narrative, Epic: long narrative poems and Lyric: shorter, often non-narrative. Basically
speaking, a short story is a short piece of fiction that generally includes the following elements: setting,
characters, point of view, theme and plot. The basic elements of poetry are the speaker, the use of lines
and stanzas, rhythm and meter, rhyme, sound devices (alliteration, consonance, assonance and
onomatopoeia), imagery and figures of speech (simile, metaphor and personification). A drama is
literature which is written to be performed, and therefore, the story is generally told through the words
and actions of actors. The key elements of drama include characters, setting, plot, dialogue, and acts and
scenes (as divisions of the drama).

Referring to drama in the sense of a theatrical play, drama takes on a different dimension from
the others. Playwriting differs from the short story and novel in that its structure separates the dialogue
to each specific character. It also includes stage directions and other specific notes that are meant for
the actor/reader but are not verbally communicated on stage. Poetry differentiates from the other
forms in its structure, which is usually written in separate lines and stanzas. Poetry can be free verse or
rhyming verse, and it is generally the most condensed form of all. Poems tend to be based on a single
thought or event, with deliberate attention to a restrictive or specific sparsity of words. A short story is a
more condensed style (usually of 30 pages or less) of writing, usually--but not always--depicting a story
line that takes place over a limited time period. Short stories can also be dramatic. Dramatic elements
can occur in most literary styles--novels, short stories, plays and even poetry. Dramatic elements usually
involve some form of action and conflict.