Literary Genres and Definition of Literature

Definition of Literature and Literary Genres

• Literature refers to books and other writings, usually by expert authors.
• A literary genre is a type or category of literature, divided into four main genres: drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Main Literary Genres

• Drama: a play for theater, told by character dialogue or talking; can be read or watched.
• Fiction: a story that did not actually happen in real life; example: Twilight (vampire story).
• Nonfiction: writing that is real and factual or that actually happened; example: textbooks (science, history).
• Poetry: writing using language and sounds in special ways to express ideas; example: "The rose is red..." (rhyming verses).

Subgenres of Drama

• Comedy: a funny or humorous drama with a happy ending; example: The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare.
• Tragedy: a sad drama with a sad ending; example: Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.

Subgenres of Fiction

• Fantasy: a story in a fantasy world or a world that isn't real; example: Harry Potter books.
• Folklore: old cultural stories, including fairytales, fables, myths, legends, and tall tales; example: Russian folklore (Baba Yaga) and Mexican folklore (La Llorona).
• Historical Fiction: a fiction story based on real history; example: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
• Mystery: a story about a crime; example: And Then She Was Gone (detectives trying to find a missing girl).
• Realistic Fiction: a story that seems real but isn't real; example: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
• Romance: a love story; example: A Perfect Gentleman.
• Science Fiction: a story in the future with advanced technology; example: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
• Thriller/Suspense: a story that makes readers nervous, excited, or scared; example: The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft.

Subgenres of Nonfiction

• Biography: a story of a person's life; example: Albert Einstein's biography by Walter Isaacson.
• Autobiography: a story written by the author about himself or herself; example: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
• Narrative Nonfiction: a story or narrative that happened in real life; example: Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams.
• Periodicals: magazines, newspapers, and journals written regularly; example: daily newspaper.
• Reference Materials: books with facts in alphabetical order; example: dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia.

Subgenres of Poetry

• Lyric: a poem about the speaker's thoughts; example: haiku by a famous haiku writer.
• Narrative Poetry: a poem that tells a story; example: epic poem Beowulf.
• Dramatic Poetry: words spoken by a character; example: soliloquy, dialogue, monologue in plays like Romeo and Juliet.

Definition of Literature and Literary Genres

• Literature refers to books and other writings, usually by expert authors.
• Literary genres are categories of literature, divided into four main genres.

Main Literary Genres

• Drama: a play for theater, told through character dialogue.
• Fiction: a story that did not actually happen in real life.
• Nonfiction: writing that is real and factual or that actually happened.
• Poetry: writing that uses language and sounds in special ways to express ideas.

Subgenres of Drama

• Comedy: a funny or humorous drama with a happy ending.
• Tragedy: a sad drama with a sad ending.

Subgenres of Fiction

• Fantasy: a story in a fantasy world or a world that isn't real.
• Folklore: old cultural stories, including fairytales, fables, myths, legends, and tall tales.
• Historical Fiction: a fiction story based on real history.
• Mystery: a story about a crime.
• Realistic Fiction: a story that seems real but isn't real.
• Romance: a love story.
• Science Fiction: a story in the future with advanced technology.
• Thriller/Suspense: a story that makes readers nervous, excited, or scared.

Subgenres of Nonfiction

• Biography: a story of a person's life.
• Autobiography: a story written by the author about himself or herself.
• Narrative Nonfiction: a story or narrative that happened in real life.
• Periodicals: magazines, newspapers, and journals written regularly.
• Reference Materials: books with facts in alphabetical order.

Subgenres of Poetry

• Lyric: a poem about the speaker's thoughts.
• Narrative Poetry: a poem that tells a story.
• Dramatic Poetry: words spoken by a character.

Learn about the definition of literature and its main genres, including drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Understand the characteristics of each genre and how they differ from one another.