Being able to correctly identify elements

of various literary genres is a crucial skill.

Here are some suggestions to brush up on
identifying elements of various literary
genres.
 Literature is not exclusively the sonnets
of Shakespeare or novels written by Scott
F. Fitzgerald. Literature is inclusive of
every written work.
 A genre is simply a category that
identifies different types of literature.
 Every piece of literature can be divided
into one of two categories. Literature that
is based on fact falls is nonfiction.
Literature that is based in fantasy is
fiction.
 Truth can be told in many different ways. Some subgenres of
nonfiction with key indicators are:
Biography
Literature written about a notable persons life.
Autobiography
Literature written about a notable persons life by that person.
Speech
Literature written to orally communicate ideas to an audience.
Narrative Nonfiction
Literature that is factually based, but written in a format that resembles a
story.
Essay
Literature written to reflect the authors viewpoint. Essays are usually
short and consist of only a few pages.
 Fictional stories can be told in a wide variety of ways. Often
times, fiction can be placed in more than one category. When
identifying a subcategory of fiction on the exam, select the
genre that best fits. Some subgenres of fiction with key
indicators are:
Fairy Tales
Literature usually written for children that include an easily identifiable
hero and villain. Fairy Tales are designed to explore complex social
issues in a way that is easy for children to understand.
Poetry
Literature written to obtain an emotional response. Usually contains
layers of literary devices such as imagery, metaphor, simile etc. Poetry
can, but does not have to rhyme, or adhere to strict formulaic guidelines.
 Realistic Fiction
Literature written to tell a story that is based on real life. Realistic fiction
can include real people as characters, but are not based purely of fact.
Historical Fiction
Literature written to tell a story that is based on historical events and set
in an historical era.
Science Fiction
Literature written to include real or imagined impact of science. Science
fiction can sometimes by set in the future or on another planet.
Mythology
Literature that is written to portray a legend or oral narrative. Mythology
is often based partly on historical events but include divine and human
interaction.
 The parts of a literary text are known as
its literary elements. Rather than looking at a
whole novel, we can examine its plot, setting,
characters, point of view and themes
individually. Yes, that's quite a list, but in the
spirit of breaking down large tasks, let's break
these elements down and view them piece by
piece, using the following questions: what,
when, where, who and how.
 -Simply put, plot is what happens in a story.
 Setting is the when and where of a literary text. For example,
the novel Gone With the Wind takes place in and around
Atlanta, Georgia, and the plot - or action - occurs before,
during and after the Civil War.
Although it's a simple concept, setting is a vital literary
element. Try thinking of all the Southern romanticism of Gone
With the Wind in New York City during the same time period. It
just wouldn't work.
In some stories, the location itself almost becomes a character.
Think, for example, of the importance of New York City in the
television series Sex and the City. If you take the city out of it,
the title and the show itself become completely different, and
probably not as enjoyable.
 Characters are the fictional people - the who - in a story. The number of
characters is completely up to the author. Think of the movie Castaway, for
instance. It involves one character for a majority of the film. On the other
hand, Anne Rice's novel The Witching Hour follows tons of characters to
weave a complex saga.
Now, there are a few literary terms we have for certain types of characters.
The main character, the one we follow most closely in the story, is
the protagonist. They're the Harry Potters, the Katniss Everdeens and the
Luke Skywalkers of the literary world.
Then there are the antagonists, or the bad guys who work against the
protagonists. Enter Voldemort, President Snow and Darth Vader.
We also have foil characters. No, they don't wrap themselves in aluminum
foil! This is what we call characters that are opposites. For example, Harry
Potter and Draco Malfoy are foil characters because they start as Hogwarts
students at the same time and have similar potentials, but they end up on
opposing sides of the conflict with Voldemort. They're physical opposites as
well, since Harry is raven-haired and Draco is blond-haired.
 Another literary element is point of view. Point
of view is how the author chooses to tell the
story. Think of it as where the camera is
throughout the story.
There are three basic camera positions: first
person, second person and third person.
 First person is used when the main character is telling the story.
This is the kind that uses the "I" narrator. As a reader, you can
only experience the story through this person's eyes. So you
won't know anything about the people or events that this
character hasn't personally experienced.

First Person Peripheral: This is when the narrator is a

supporting character in the story, not the main character. It still
uses the "I" narrator but since the narrator is not the
protagonist, there are events and scenes that will happen to the
protagonist that the narrator will not have access to.
 Second person point of view is generally
only used in instructional writing. It is
told from the perspective of "you".
 Third person POV is used when your narrator
is not a character in the story. Third person uses
the "he/she/it" narrator and it is the most
commonly used POV in writing.
 Third Person Limited: Limited means that the POV is limited to only one
character. Which means that the narrator only knows what that character
knows. With third person limited you can choose to view the action from
right inside the character's head, or from further away, where the narrator
has more access to information outside the protagonist's viewpoint.
Third Person Multiple: This type is still in the "he/she/it" category, but
now the narrator can follow multiple characters in the story. The challenge
is making sure that the reader knows when you are switching from one
character to another. Make the switch obvious with chapter or section
breaks.
Third Person Omniscient: This point of view still uses the "he/she/it"
narration but now the narrator knows EVERYTHING. The narrator isn't
limited by what one character knows, sort of like the narrator is God. The
narrator can know things that others don't, can make comments about what's
happening, and can see inside the minds of other characters.
 You should be able to hear the narrator through his
or her unique voice.
What words does the narrator use?
Is the language very formal, or does it contain slang?
The very nature of the story depends on the authors
choice of narrator and voice.
The closer a narration is to a particular characters pov,
the more we identify with that character and how he or
she sees the other characters and events in the story.
Point of view also determines how much we get to
know about the characters and the plot.
Imagine how different the Diary of Anne Franks story
would be if it was told through the eyes of a Nazi
soldier.
 There are two types of conflicts:
Internal Conflict
External Conflict
The conflict of the story is the issue or problem.
Usually the conflict is resolved or sorted out, but
sometimes it is not.
Conflicts are what makes a story exciting.
Imagining watching a movie or reading a book where
nothing happens and there are no
problems.Boring right?
 A struggle WITHIN a character.
Havent you had an argument with yourself?
Havent you tried to talk yourself out of doing
something you shouldnt, or talk yourself into doing
something you should?
This is internal conflict, and all characters have this
conflict at some point.
Think about the movie The Blind Side.
Michael Yore is always having internal conflict.
Should he trust this rich, white family? Should he
play for Ole Miss? Should he open himself up to
these people?
Even Sandra Bullocks character, the mother struggles
with herself about whether she is doing the right
thing for Michael or not.
 There is a problem or fight between two or
more characters in the story.
Think about the movie Elf.
Buddys father is in conflict with Buddy
because he does not want to accept that Buddy
may be his son.
 The character struggles against a force of
nature or some aspect of the environment.
In the movie Into the Wild, the main character
ventures out to live in the Alaskan wilderness,
and encounters starvation, extreme weather,
wild animals, and he eventually gets sick out
there and dies without medicine.
 The character goes against the rules or values
of the group in which he/she lives.
In the book The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne
and her family and friends live in Nazi
Germany at a time when Jewish people were to
be handed over to the authorities; however,
Anne and her family are hidden by another
family and protected from the Nazis for a short
while. The family that helped the Franks and
the Franks themselves were going against the
rules of the society in which they lived.
 The character must struggle against his/her
destiny or some force beyond the characters
control.
In the Harry Potter books, Harry struggles
against his destiny to fight Lord Voldemort
because he knows there is a large chance that
he may losein the end, Harry does accept his
destiny.
 The lessons about life in a story is the
themethis is the message about love, life, or
friendship that the writer wants to share with
us.
The theme is the authors message or the
works meaning.
The moral of the story.