Literary Genres

A Library Research Paper

Presented to:
Dr. Milynor M. Acibo
Faculty of Art and Sciences
Arellano University

In partial fulfilment of the Requirements for the course, English 4N

Submitted by:
De La Cruz, Keith Devie M.
Zulueta, April A

Table of Contents

I.

II.

III.
IV.
V.
VI.

INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the study
B. Significance of the study
C. Objectives
D. Statement of the problem
PRESENTATION OF DATA
Genres of Literature
Major forms of literary and semi-literary fictions
Definition of genres
Characteristics of genres
List of writing genres
CONCLUSIONS
INSIGHT GAINED
REFERENCES
CURRICULUM VITAE

I.

INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the study
A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be
determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of
fiction) length. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible
and loosely defined, often with subgroups.
The most general genres in literature are (in loose chronological
order) epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative nonfiction. They can all be in
the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such

as satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as
a subgenre (see below), but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are
defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which
they were composed.
Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which literature may
be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not
be confused with format, such as graphic novel or picture book.

B. Significance of the study

The research paper is an original essay presenting your ideas in
response to information found in library sources. As you gather
research material, your ever-increasing knowledge of a topic will
allow you to make informed judgments and original interpretations.
At each stage of research, you will have a more complete idea of
what you have already found and what you are looking for. Midway
through the process, the writing tasks of creating a review of the
literature and a proposal will help you focus the direction of your
research. This chapter addresses both the technical skills of finding

and recording information and the intellectual skills of understanding

the material, developing original ideas, and making informed
judgments.

C.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Objectives
Explain what is literary genres
Identify the types and kinds of genres
Enumerate the major forms of genres
Definition of the types and elements of literary genres
Identify the list of writing genres

D. Statement of the problem

1. What is literary genres?
2. Name the types and kinds of genres?
3. What are the forms of genres?
4. Define the types and elements of literary genres?
5. What are the list of writing genres?

I.

Presentation of Data

Genres of Literature
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Types of Non-fiction
Narrative Nonfiction is information based on fact that is presented in a format
which tells a story.
Essays are a short literary composition that reflects the authors outlook or point.
A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and
generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.
A Biography is a written account of another persons life.
An Autobiography gives the history of a persons life, written or told by that
person. Often written in Narrative form of their persons life.

Speech is the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to

express ones thoughts and emotions by speech, sounds, and gesture. Generally
delivered in the form of an address or discourse.
Finally there is the general genre of Nonfiction. This is Informational text dealing
with an actual, real-life subject. This genre of literature offers opinions or
conjectures on facts and reality. This includes biographies, history, essays,
speech, and narrative non fiction. Nonfiction opposes fiction and is distinguished
from those fiction genres of literature like poetry and drama which is the next
section we will discuss.
Types of Fiction

Drama is the genre of literature thats subject for compositions is dramatic art in
the way it is represented. This genre is stories composed in verse or prose,
usually for theatrical performance, where conflicts and emotion are expressed
through dialogue and action.
Poetry is verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that evokes an emotional
response from the reader. The art of poetry is rhythmical in composition, written
or spoken. This genre of literature is for exciting pleasure by beautiful,
imaginative, or elevated thoughts.
Fantasy is the forming of mental images with strange or other worldly settings or
characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality.

Humor is the faculty of perceiving what is amusing or comical. Fiction full of fun,
fancy, and excitement which meant to entertain. This genre of literature can
actually be seen and contained within all genres.
A Fable is a story about supernatural or extraordinary people Usually in the form
of narration that demonstrates a useful truth. In Fables, animals often speak as
humans that are legendary and supernatural tales.
Fairy Tales or wonder tales are a kind of folktale or fable. Sometimes the stories
are about fairies or other magical creatures, usually for children.
Science Fiction is a story based on impact of potential science, either actual or
imagined. Science fiction is one of the genres of literature that is set in the future
or on other planets.
Short Story is fiction of such briefness that is not able to support any subplots.
Realistic Fiction is a story that can actually happen and is true to real life.
Folklore are songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a person of folk that was
handed down by word of mouth. Folklore is a genre of literature that is widely
held, but false and based on unsubstantiated beliefs.
Historical Fiction is a story with fictional characters and events in a historical
setting.
Horror is an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by literature that is
frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting. Fiction in which events evoke a feeling
of dread in both the characters and the reader.
A Tall Tale is a humorous story with blatant exaggerations, swaggering heroes
who do the impossible with an here of nonchalance.

Legend is a story that sometimes of a national or folk hero. Legend is based on

fact but also includes imaginative material.
Mystery is a genre of fiction that deals with the solution of a crime or the
unraveling of secrets. Anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or
unknown.
Mythology is a type of legend or traditional narrative. This is often based in part
on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its
symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods. A body of myths, as that of
a particular people or that relating to a particular person.
Fiction in Verse is full-length novels with plot, subplots, themes, with major and
minor characters. Fiction of verse is one of the genres of literature in which the
narrative is usually presented in blank verse form.
The genre of Fiction can be defined as narrative literary works whose content is
produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact. In fiction
something is feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story.

Major forms of literary and semi-literary fictions

Drama
Graphic novel
Myth
Novel
Novella
Short story

Drama is the specific mode of narrative,

typically fictional, represented in performance.The term comes from
the Greek word , drama, meaning action, which is derived from the
verb , dra, meaning to do or to act. The enactment of drama in theatre,
performed by actors on a stage before an audience,
presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of
reception. The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is
directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective
reception The early modern tragedy Hamlet(1601) by Shakespeare and
the classical Athenian tragedy Oedipus the King (c. 429 BC) by Sophocles are

among the masterpieces of the art of drama. A modern example is Long Day's
Journey into Night (1956) by Eugene ONeill.

A graphic novel is a book made up of comics content. Although the word "novel"
normally refers to long fictional works, the term "graphic novel" is applied broadly
and includes fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work. It is distinguished from
the term "comic book", which is used for comics periodicals.

Mythology is a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular

religious or cultural tradition of a group of peopletheir collection of stories they
tell to explain nature,history, and customsor the study of such myths.
A novel is a long narrative, normally in prose, which
describes fictional characters and events, usually in the form of a sequential
story.
While Ian Watt in The Rise of the Novel (1957) suggests that the novel came into
being in the early 18th century, the genre has also been described as possessing
"a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years". This
view sees the novel's origins in Classical Greece and Rome, medieval,

early modern romance, and the tradition of the novella. The latter, an Italian word
used to describe short stories, supplied the present generic English term in the
18th century. Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, is frequently cited as
the first significant European novelist of the modern era; the first part of Don
Quixote was published in 1605.
A novella is a work of written, fictional, narrative prose normally longer than
a short story but shorter than a novel. The English word "novella" derives from
the Italian "novella", feminine of "novello", which means "new".[1] The novella is a
common literary genre in several European languages.
A short story is a brief work of literature, usually written
in narrative prose. Emerging from earlier oral storytelling traditions in the 17th
century, the short story has grown to encompass a body of work so diverse as to
defy easy characterization. At its most prototypical the short story features a
small cast of named characters, and focuses on a self-contained incident with the
intent of evoking a "single effect" or mood.[2] In doing so, short stories make use
of plot, resonance, and other dynamic components to a far greater degree than is
typical of an anecdote, yet to a far lesser degree than a novel. While the short
story is largely distinct from the novel, authors of both generally draw from a
common pool of literary techniques.
Definition of genre

Genre is a broad term that translates from the French to mean 'kind' or 'type.' In
entertainment, this can translate to horror, romance, science fiction, etc. In
general, these types differ for all sorts of reasons, from the actions in their plots
to the feelings they elicit from the audience. However, in literature, there are
some more defined genres. It is important to know which genre a piece of work
falls into because the reader will already have certain expectations before he
even begins to read.
Genre, in broad terms, refers to any works that share certain characteristics. If
enough characteristics are in common, then the pieces are said to be in the
same genre. In literature, there are four main genres to help the reader focus
their expectations for the piece, though these genres can be broken down even
further.
Characteristics of genres
Poetry
A main literary genre is poetry. All poems share specific characteristics. For
example, poetry is written in lines and stanzas instead of sentences and
paragraphs. Some poems follow strict rules as to the number and length of lines
and stanzas, whereas many poems are much more free-flowing.

Most poetry is abundant in figurative language. Using devices like a simile,

metaphor, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, rhyme, and much more, poetry
can claim an emphasis on imagination, emotions, and heartfelt ideas.
Poetry is usually shorter than the other genres, but some poems are classified
as epic poetry, which is long narrative poetry chronicling heroic deeds and
serious subject matter. For example, John Milton's epic poem Paradise
Lost focuses on Satan's fall from grace and his following pursuit of revenge.
Fiction
Poetry, however, is not the only genre that can utilize figurative language.
Similarly, fiction, which is any work written in prose that is not real, can also use
elaborate figurative language. However, fiction is much more structured than
poetry. It must be written in sentences and paragraphs with all the proper
punctuation and grammar, which makes it prose. Usually, fiction is broken up into
chapters, as well.
Since it is based on the imagination, the subject matter in fiction works can be
nearly anything. Fiction can take place in the present day, the future, or the past.
It can incorporate the most fantastical ideas or follow an everyday life. Some
examples of works of fiction are legends, folk tales, fairy tales, short stories, and
any novels. For example, the popular Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies
are fiction which occurs in a post-apocalyptic future.

 Non-fiction
A third broad literary genre is nonfiction. If fiction is fake, then nonfiction is the
opposite: it comes from real life. Works of nonfiction are all based in real-world
experiences. When you read the newspaper, you are reading nonfiction. Other
examples include journals, diaries, biographies, autobiographies, and essays.
Nonfiction can also use figurative language; however, it is not as abundant as in
poetry and even fiction. Figurative language in this genre generally comes
through common phrases which are well-known and used on a daily basis by
many. These pieces are written in prose, like fiction, and sometimes even in
chapters.
a. List of writing genres
Narrative Technique
Tone
Content

Narrative technique (also known, more narrowly for literary fictional narratives,
as a literary technique, literary device, or fictional device) is any of several
specific methods the creator of a narrative uses to convey what they want[1]in
other words, a strategy used in the making of a narrative to relay information to
the audience and, particularly, to "develop" the narrative, usually in order to make
it more complete, complicated, or interesting. Literary techniques are
distinguished from literary elements, which exist inherently in works of writing.

1 Setting
2 Plots
3 Perspective
4 Style
5 Theme
6 Character
7 References
Tone is a literary compound of composition, which shows the attitudes toward
the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work. Tone may be
formal, informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic,
condescending, or many other possible attitudes. Works of literature are often
conceptualized as having at least one theme, or central question about a topic;
and how the theme is approached within the work constitutes the work's tone.

In publishing, art, and communication, content is the information and

experience(s) directed towards an end-user or audience. Content is "something
that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing or any of
various arts". Content can be delivered via many different media including

the internet, television, and audio CDs, books, magazines, live events, such as
conferences and stage performances.

II.
Conclusion
All of the arts consist of genres. To name some of the outstanding
types: in painting, there are the landscape, the still life, the portrait;
in music there are the sonata, the symphony, the song; in film we
have the domestic comedy, the horror/thriller, the Western. If
students think of the forms with which they are most familiar
(perhaps the film genres), they will understand that for sophisticated

appreciation, they need always to be acquainted with the specific

conventions of the type. The study of genres essentially is the study
of conventions. And in literature as in the other arts, an acquaintance
with generic conventions is critical to enriching our responses to
particular texts. It is true that since we are reading "landmarks,"
there will always be something marvelously unique about each great
work studied. But in each case there will also be a set of
expectations connected to its type, to its generic tradition, as well as
to the Zeitgeist (the "spirit of the time") in which the work was written.

III.
Insight Gained
As I about to plan this research, I must admit that I find it difficult
from gathering data, information to be use from the process making
which I will use. While doing this research my cousin echo is
interrupting me because he wants to use the laptop but I am proud
and still happy because I finally finished it even though my cousin is
there to give me stress.
The research is not just force me to do for the sake of my grades but
also this research is such a good way of learning something that is
once naked to our knowledge.

IV.

References

Eugenio, Pacelli S. M.Ed. MPA, Romero, Perlita P. PhD

An approach to Literature (Modern Genres from America, Britain and the
Philippines) Copyright 1997
Roldan, Aurora H. Ed D.
College Reading & Writing Copyright 2010
Tan, Arsenia B.
Introduction to Literature Copyright 2001

V.

Curriculum Vitae

De La Cruz, Keith Devie M.

1624 Quintos St. Sampaloc Manila/Lalafugan, Lal-lo, Cagayan
Valley
August 05, 1996
19y/o
Female
Keithdevie0411@yahoo.com