Literary Genres

LITERARY GENRE

 categories used to group different types of literary works.

 any work that shares certain characterisrics.
 each literary genre is characterized by its own language patterns, its specific stylistic choices and its
patterns of cultural orientation.

Poetry

This is often considered the oldest form of literature. Before writing was invented, oral stories were commonly
put into some sort of poetic form to make them easier to remember and recite. Poetry today is usually written
down but is still sometimes performed. A lot of people think of rhymes and counting syllables and lines when
they think of poetry, and some poems certainly follow strict forms. But other types of poetry are so free-form
that they lack any rhymes or common patterns.

Prose

Once you know what poetry is, it’s easy to define prose. Prose can be defined as any kind of written text that
isn’t poetry. The most typical varieties of prose are novels and short stories, while other types include letters,
diaries, journals, and non-fiction. Prose is written in complete sentences and organized in paragraphs. Instead of
focusing on sound, which is what poetry does, prose tends to focus on plot and characters.

Drama

Any text meant to be performed rather than read can be considered drama. In layman’s terms, dramas are
usually called plays. When written down the bulk of a drama is dialogue, with periodic stage directions such as
“he looks away angrily." Of all the genres of literature discussed in this article, drama is the one given the least
time in most classrooms. And often when drama is taught, it’s only read the same way you might read a novel.
Since dramas are meant to be acted out in front of an audience, it’s hard to fully appreciate them when looking
only at pages of text. Students respond best to dramas, and grasp their mechanics more fully when exposed to
film or theater versions or encouraged to read aloud or act out scenes during class.

Non-Fiction

Poetry and drama both belong to the broader category of fiction—texts that feature events and characters that
have been made up. Then there is non-fiction, a vast category that is a type of prose and includes many different
sub-genres. Non-fiction can be creative, such as the personal essay, or factual, such as the scientific paper.
Sometimes the purpose of non-fiction is to tell a story, but most of the time the purpose is to pass on
information and educate the reader about certain facts, ideas, and/or issues.
Media

The newest type of literature that has been defined as a distinct genre is media. This categorization was created
to encompass the many new and important kinds of texts in our society today, such as movies and films,
websites, commercials, billboards, and radio programs. Any work that doesn’t exist primarily as a written text
can probably be considered media, particularly if it relies on recently developed technologies. Media literature
can serve a wide variety of purposes—among other things it can educate, entertain, advertise, and/or persuade.

21st Century Literary Genres

CREATIVE NONFICTION - It is a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly
invented and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research
paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not. The words “creative” and “nonfiction” describe the form.
The word “creative” refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets
employ to present nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid,
dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your readers are as enthralled by
fact as they are by fantasy.

HYPERTEXT POETRY - A new genre of literature that uses the computewr screen as medium, rather than
the printed page. The literary works rely on the qualities unique on the digital environment, such as linked
World Wide Web pages or effects such as sounds or movements. Hypertext poetry utilizes the components of
hypertexts. Hyperlinks are embedded, throughout, or in some cases "each word, phrase or line." Each link
brings the reader to another page "that defines or expands on the idea represented by the text of the poem"
(Hypertext Poetry And Fiction). The links most often stem from the "primary text. However, some hypertext
poems that do not have a primary text. In these works, the reader of the poem choos the way he navigates the
poem through the amount and pattern he chooses with the hyperlinks

MOBILE PHONE TEXTTULA / TEXT-TALK NOVELS - A literary work originally written on a cellular
phone via text messaging. Chapters usually consist of about 70-100 words each due to character limitations on
cell phones.

CHICK LIT - It consists of heroin-centered narratives that focus on the trials and tribulations of their
individual protagonists. It often addresses issues of modern womanhood – from romantic relationships to
female friendships to matters in the workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways and it is most of the time
written by women.

SPECULATIVE FICTION - a type of story that deals with observations of the human condition but offers the
experience through a different lens and challenges us to see what tomorrow could be like or what the mythic
past of our imagination actually is. Often described as the ‘What if?’ genre, speculative fiction (spec-fic or SF)
describes any work where the writer makes conjectures about a fictional scenario. Look more critically and the
matter isn’t so straightforward. As a definition, this one is so loose that it can be stretched to include all fiction.
At the very least it fails to capture the particular flavour of the genre.
FLASH FICTION - Flash fiction goes by many names, including microfiction, microstories, shortshorts, short
short stories, very short stories, sudden fiction, postcard fiction and nanofiction. While it can be difficult to
pinpoint an exact definition of flash fiction based on word count, consideration of several of its features can
help provide clarity, like its brevity, length, background and purpose.

BLOG - A blog is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the reverse
chronological order, with latest posts appearing first. It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers
share their views on an individual subject. It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their
views on an individual subject.

GRAPHIC / ILLUSTRATED NOVEL - 50 % of the narrative is presented without words. The reader must
interpret the images in order to comprehend completely the story. Textual portions are presented in traditional
form. Some illustrated novels may contain no text at all and it span all genres.

DIGI - FICTION - Combines three media: book, movie/video, and internet website. In order to get the full
story, students must engage in navigation, reading, viewing, in all three formats. Digi Fiction is a book that
includes passcodes so that there is more information for the book online. It might be short videos to watch, or
more text. Sometimes Digi Fiction can also mean that the entire book can be found in an online version only.

MANGA - Japanese word for comics. It is used in the English-speaking world as a generic term for all comic
books and graphics novels originally published in Japan. Considered as an artistic and storytelling style.

 Ameri-manga – sometimes used to refer to comics created by American artists in manga style.
 Shonen - Boy’s Manga (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece)
 Shojo – Girl’s Manga (Sailor Moon)
 Seinen – Men’s Manga (Akira)
 Josei – Women’s Manga (Loveless, Paradise Kiss)
 Kodomo – Children’s Manga (Doraemon, Hello Kitty)

DOODLE FICTION - Literary presentation where the author incorporates doodle writing and drawings, and
handwritten graphics in place of traditional font. Drawing enhance the story, often adding humorous elements
that would be missing if the illustrations were omitted.