CREATIVE WRITING

LESSON 5:
GENRE OF FICTION
Mrs. ANGELICA JOYCE C. DELOS SANTOS

Subject Teacher
 WHAT IS A GENRE? \ZHÄN-RƏ\

It is a French word for "kind" or "sort is the

term for any category of literature or
other forms of art or entertainment, e.g.
music, whether written or spoken, audial
or visual, based on some set of stylistic
criteria.
 WHY DOES GENRE MATTER?

• They fulfil the reader’s

expectations.
• Bond is created between people
who follow similar genres.
• Readers can use this for their
potential benefit.
• Humans can depend on stories to
dull the unforgiving real factors of
life.
_______
 FANTASY
A story that is imaginative but could never really happen.
The setting may be of another world. Characters might be
magical like talking animals, sorceries, witches and wizardry. It is
a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure,
especially in a setting other than the real world.
Many fantasy novels involve adventure as a key feature.
Characters may discover portals to other worlds or discover
hidden magic, wonder and surprise in our own world. Characters
adventure through worlds where the impossible is possible.
Exploring the ‘impossible’ is another common element in fantasy.
Magical wands may weave spells that defy the laws of physics
as we know them. Other times magic is spoken, chanted, or
ripples through land and landscape.
 ELEMENTS OF FANTASY

• Magic
• Adventure
• Struggle for Mystery
• Setting
__________ _______
 HISTORICAL FICTION
A story that takes place in a historically accurate time and
setting. The characters and some events are fictional.

ELEMENTS OF HISTORICAL FICTION

• Character
• Dialogue
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
__________ _______
 SCIENTIFIC FICTION
A story that is typically set in the future or on
other planets. It is based on the impact of actual,
imagined, or potential science. It is a type of
imaginative literature. It provides a mental picture
of something that may happen on realistic
scientific principles and facts. This fiction might
portray, for instance, a world where young people
are living on Mars. Hence, it is known as “futuristic
fiction.” It dramatizes the wonders of technology,
and resembles heroic fantasy where magic is
substituted with technology.
 SCIENTIFIC FICTION
Often called “sci-fi,” is a genre
of fiction literature whose
content is imaginative, but
based in science. It relies heavily
on scientific facts, theories, and
principles as support for its
settings, characters, themes,
and plot-lines, which is what
makes it different from fantasy.
_______ _______
 MYSTERY FICTION

Mystery is a genre of literature whose stories focus

on a puzzling crime, situation, or circumstance that
needs to be solved. The term comes from the Latin
mysterium, meaning “a secret thing.” stories can be
either fictional or nonfictional, and can focus on both
supernatural and non-supernatural topics. Many mystery
stories involve what is called a “whodunit” scenario,
meaning the mystery revolves around the uncovering a
culprit or criminal.
MYSTERY FICTION
_________ _______
 REALISTIC FICTION
A story that seems real or could happen in real life. It is set in present
day and includes modern day problems and events. Realistic fiction
attempts to portray the world as it is. It contains no fantasy, no supernatural
elements, and it usually depicts ordinary people going about the business
of daily living, with all its joys, sorrow, successes, and failures.

Characteristics of Realistic Fiction

• Realistic fiction stories tend to take place in the present or recent past.
• Characters are involved in events that could happen.
• Characters live in places that could be or are real.
• The characters seem like real people with real issues solved in a realistic way.
• The events portrayed in realistic fiction conjure questions that a reader could
face in everyday life.
REALISTIC FICTION
______
 HORROR
The horror genre in literature dates back to Ancient Greece and
Ancient Rome, where horror stories explored themes related to death,
demons, evil spirits, and the afterlife. Examples include the ancient Greek
tragedy Hippolytus by Euripides, a gruesome story about how jealousy and
a lack of empathy can lead to tragedy.
The gothic novel, a genre of horror that focuses specifically on death,
originated in the eighteenth century and is exemplified by the author Edgar
Allan Poe. Horror literature in the nineteenth century and twentieth
centuries often focused on tales involving occult ideas, like Mary Shelly’s
Frankenstein (1818) or Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897).
Modern horror novels have expanded the genre to include new
elements and contemporary themes, like serial killers and slasher stories—
Stephen King’s The Shining (1977) is a perfect example—as well as genre
mashups that combine horror with historical fantasy, and modern
interpretations of fantastical creatures, like ghosts, vampires, werewolves,
and witches.
HORROR
 OTHER FICTIONAL GENRES
• Adventure - A story where a protagonist and other major characters and are
placed in dangerous situations. The characters must use their wit and skills to
defeat the antagonist.
• Folktales
• Fable - A brief story that is meant to tell a lesson or a moral. The characters
are usually animals with human characteristics.
• Fairy Tale - A story that has magical elements. The characters are usually
fairies, giants, elves, and other magical creatures.
• Legend - A story usually about a national or folk hero. This story takes place in
a particular time and place and is partly true and partly fiction. The
character traits of the hero are typically exaggerated.
• Tall Tale - A humorous story with extreme exaggerations. The main character,
or hero, usually does impossible things with ease.
• Myth - A story that is often based on a historical event that is meant to serve
as an explanation for some phenomenon of nature or human behavior.
Characters are usually gods.
Performance Task # 3: With your learnings with the different tips in writing a fictional
story, create a review about your most favorite short story. Do this on your answer
sheet.
I. Title of the Short Story:
II. Author:
III. Genre:
IV. Setting:
V. Characters:
VI. Theme:
VII. Conflict: (explain)
VIII. Point of View: (explain)
IX. Plot: (6 parts)
X. Plot Devices, Vision, and Finale
XI. Over-all impression of the story