How to Identify Elements of Various

Literary Genre’s and Why It's Important

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.
What is Literature?
Literature is not exclusively the sonnets
of Shakespeare or novels written by Scott
F. Fitzgerald. Literature is inclusive of
every written work.
What is a Genre?
A genre is simply a category that
identifies different types of literature.
What are the Main Categories?
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.
What are Some Non-Fiction Genres?
Truth can be told in many different ways. Some subgenres of
nonfiction with key indicators are:
 Biography
Literature written about a notable person’s life.
 Autobiography
Literature written about a notable person’s 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 author’s viewpoint. Essays are usually short
and consist of only a few pages.
What are Some Fiction Genres?
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.
Those genres have elements!
Definition of Literary Elements
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.
Plot
-Simply put, plot is what happens in a story. 
Setting
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
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.
Point of View
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 Point Of View:
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:
Second person point of view is generally
only used in instructional writing. It is
told from the perspective of "you".
Third Person Point Of View:
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.
There are 3 main types of Third Person
POV:
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.
 Why is POV important?
 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 author’s
choice of narrator and voice.
 The closer a narration is to a particular character’s 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 Frank’s story
would be if it was told through the eyes of a Nazi
soldier.
 CONFLICT
 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?
INTERNAL CONFLICT
 A struggle WITHIN a character.
 Haven’t you had an argument with yourself?
 Haven’t you tried to talk yourself out of doing
something you shouldn’t, 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 Bullock’s character, the mother struggles
with herself about whether she is doing the right
thing for Michael or not.
 External Conflict: Person vs. Person

 There is a problem or fight between two or

more characters in the story.
 Think about the movie Elf.
 Buddy’s father is in conflict with Buddy
because he does not want to accept that Buddy
may be his son.
 External Conflict: Person vs. Nature

 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.
External Conflict: Person vs. Society

 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.
 External Conflict: Person vs Fate
 The character must struggle against his/her
destiny or some force beyond the character’s
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 lose…in the end, Harry does accept his
destiny.
 THEME
 The lessons about life in a story is the theme…
this is the message about love, life, or
friendship that the writer wants to share with
us.
 The theme is the author’s message or the
work’s meaning.
 The “moral” of the story.