Genre Characteristics
*Notes of Reference*
FANTASY: Myths, Fables, Tall Tales, Fairy Tales
contains elements that are not realistic
talking animals
magical powers
often set in a medieval universe
possibly involving mythical beings
HISTORICAL FICTION:
stories centered around the basis of a partially historical situation
a novel set in a historical period
ANTHOLOGY:
a collection of literary works
used to categorize collections of shorter works
collected into a single volume for publication
POETRY:
a form of art in which words are used for its emotional and remindful qualities (creates feelings and recreates memories)
sometimes concentrated on features such as repetition, patterns and rhyme
BIOGRAPHY:
based on the written accounts of individual lives
more than a list of impersonal facts like birth, education, work, relationships and death
may focus on a subject of fiction or non- fiction
AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
a biography written by the subject
focuses on the "life and times" of the character
LIMERICKS:
a five-line poem with a strict form
frequently witty or humorous
NON FICTIONAL/INFORMATIONAL:
a subject which is presented as fact
it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question; assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition
REALISTIC FICTION
A believable story involving characters and events that could happen, but are made up and created by the author. It is not based on anything factual. Example: The Outsiders.
PLAYS: tragedy or comedy
almost always consisting of dialogue between characters
intended for performance rather than reading
tragedy- is any event with a sad and unfortunate outcome
comedy-almost always refers to the creation or presentation of humor with the intention of provoking laughter
| 