Introduction to

Literary Genres
 LITERATURE
*features human experiences that are seen as
fleeting moments caught by creative eye. From
ordinaries, storytellers, poets, and dramatists unearth
a part of the scene to be able to form speeches and
plots into something significant (Barnet, et al., 2003)
Therefore, literature develops people to share a
magnitude of deep sensibly and information (Jocobus,
1996)
 LITERATURE

*also speaks directly as it nourishes people’s

emotional lives. The character that that writers create,
mirror a portion of humanity, making many to laugh,
teary eyed, scared, dream, think, shout, or be angry
towards a characters actions and life’s circumstances.
So connected with emotions, literature further widens
how people look at the world (Meyer, 2006)
FICTION
*A product from the imagination but with truthfulness
of what has been happening around.
*Describes imaginary events and people.
*It maybe based on stories of actual historical events
*Fiction can be expressed in the form of short story,
novel, drama and film.
 EXAMPLES OF FICTION

*Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll

 Entire magical tale is fabricated and imaginary
*Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
 Presents actual life of nineteenth century
*Hamlet by William Shakespeare
 Story created by Shakespeare to entertain the
Elizabeth audience of that time.
 CREATIVE
NONFICTION
 CREATIVE NONFICTIO
N
*uses techniques of *not made up
literature
*accurate
*Narrative
*interviews
*Plot
*Characterization *Research
*Imagery *Immersion
*Dramatization
“Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative
nonfiction writer is communicate
information, just like the reporter, but to
shape it in a way that reads like fiction.”

--Lee Gutkind, The Best Creative nonfiction

“Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative
nonfiction writer is communicate
information, just like the reporter, but to
shape it in a way that reads like fiction.”

--Lee Gutkind, The Best Creative nonfiction

PROSE

*takes its form in an unmetered style and

uses natural speech than a rhyme.
a. Short Story

*is a concise prose that is shorter than a

novel with few characters to portray. A flash
fiction covers from 50-300 words and a
short story may run from 750 to 1500
words or more but not more than 7,500
words.
a. Short Story

*is acknowledged to be the most exquisite

kind of prose fiction, requiring perfect craft,
the form in which the smallest slip can
bring the whole contraption—the plot,
character, narration-down in a crash”
(Hampel, 1989)
 Elements of a Short Story

a. Character
• Can be a person or an animal taking the
action of the story.
b. Setting
• Brings the readers as where the story
happens which is illustrated through
scenery, landscape, building, weather, or
season
 Elements of a Short Story
c. Plot
• Leads to the central conflict by building a series of
events in the character’s life.
d. Conflict
• Is the wrestle of the character with another
character against nature, forces, society, or oneself.
e. Theme
• The central idea or concept of the storyline
 NOVEL

*Written in prose format and published as a

book, a novel is long piece of creative fiction that
is believed to be possessing, demanding, and
complex.
 DRAMA

*It is believed “drama is literature equipped with

arms, legs, tears, laughs, whispers, shouts and
gestures that are alive and immediate” (Meyer,
2006). Its origins trace back to the greek with a
word dran meaning “to do” or “to perform”
 SOME COMMON GENRES IN
DRAMA
1. COMEDY- stems from komeode which
means merrymakings.
2. FARCE- An exaggerated comedy, dependent
on overblown speech, unbelievable
situations and exaggerated characters.
3. SATIRE- from latin term mean “medley”.
The use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to
emphasize the vice, foolishness or
weakness in humans.
 SOME COMMON GENRES IN
DRAMA
4. TRAGEDY- Portrays sad ending wherein
Aristotle was the first to provide its definition.
5. HISTORICAL DRAMA- is as old theater
featuring historical characters and events.
6. MUSICAL THEATRE- combines dialogues,
songs and dances numbers and accredited to
broadway for blending vaudeville, revue,
melodrama as well as opera
STRUCTURE OF POETRY
COUPLET
TERCET
QUATRAINS
CINQUAIN
SESTET
SEPTET
OCTAVE
 FORMS IN POETRY

A.LYRIC POETRY
*FOLKSONGS
*SONNETS
*ELEGY
*ODE
*PSALMS
*SONGS
*CORRIDOS
 FORMS IN POETRY

B. NARRATIVE POETRY
*EPIC
*METRICAL TALE
*BALLADS
 FORMS IN POETRY

C. DRAMA POETRY
*COMEDY
*MELODRAMA
*TRAGEDY
*FARCE
*SOCIAL POEMS
FIGURATIVE DEVICES IN POETRY

1. SIMILE
2. METAPHOR
3. SYNECDOCHE
4. METONYMY
5. SYMBOLISM
6. PERSONIFICATION
7. IRONY.
8. PARADOX
1. What is your concept about love?
2. What is your concept about letting go of
someone?
3. If you were Alfredo, would you choose Julia
over Ezperanza?
4. If you were Julia would you fight for your love?
5. Who are you in that story?
6. Who are your dead star/s?
QUIZ!!
1. It is considered as a product from the
imagination but with truthfulness of
what has been happening around.
2. It develops people to share a
magnitude of deep sensibly and
information.
3. I can’t live without you. What figurative
devices is being used?
4. The pen is mightier than the sword.
What figurative devices is being used?
4. The pen is mightier than the sword.
What figurative devices is being used?
5. It employs contradictory statements or
situations to show reality dissimilar from
truth.
6. It uses inanimate objects as people
giving them human attributes.
7. Hamlet by William Shakespeare is an
example of what literary genre?
8. The primary goal of this is to
communicate information.
9. Usually takes its form in an unmetered
style and uses natural speech than a
rhyme.
10. It may run from 750 to 1500 words or
more but not more than 7,500 words.
11. It brings the readers as where the story
happens which is illustrated through
scenery, landscape, building, weather, or
season.
12. Leads to the central conflict by building a
series of events in the character’s life.
13. It is a long piece of creative fiction that is
believed to be possessing, demanding, and
complex.
14. It is derived from latin term mean
“medley”.
15. It is a song for the dead.
16. Usually 14 lines dealing with emotion,
feeling or idea.
17. These are short poems intended to be
sung.
18. These have measures of 12 syllables.
19. What do we call to a poem consisting 5
lines?
20. It is an exaggerated comedy.