Forms of Literature

FORMS OF LITERATURE
 PROSE – composed freely, no measurement scheme, divided into

paragraphs
 POETRY – form characterized by its highly controlled manner, choosing and
arranging language with the use of regulating devices
 DRAMA – intended to be performed on stage
GENRES OF LITERATURE
GENRE comes from an old French word “GENDER” as we know it.
GENRE has since been used to describe the style or category of art, literature,
music, or any other type of discourse, written or spoken
A LITERARY GENRE therefore means a category of literary composition or
endeavor. A category meant to DESCRIBE the WRITING STYLE, TECHNIQUE, TONE,
LENGTH, and CONTENT OF CERTAIN LITERARY FORMS.
(ALL CATEGORIES OF BOOKS OR STORIES CAN BE CALLED EITHER FICTION OR

NON-FICTION)
FICTION NON-FICTION
 A made up story  Has facts that can be checked

 Can tell about things that could and proven
happen  The author is an expert on this
 Is read for fun information
 Characters may be like real  It is true
people or imaginary
FICTION GENRES
1. Contemporary literature
2. Family and relationship
3. Diaries
4. Comic / Humor
5. Paranormal / Horror
6. Erotic fiction
7. Fables
8. Folk tales and fairy tales
9. Historical fiction
10. LGBT
11. Literature fiction
12. Dystopian
13. Metafiction
14. Myth and legend
15. Occupational fiction
16. Political
17. Pulp fiction
18. Religious fiction
19. Short story
20. Women’s fiction
21. Action
22. Adventure
23. Thriller
NON-FICTION GENRE
1. Biography & Autobiography 9. Speech
2. Memoir
3. Creative non-fiction
4. Essay
5. Poetry
6. History
7. Narrative non-fiction
8. Religious
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
 This is the kind of fiction that stands out, gets mentioned and
recommended
 Usually set in the recognizable present, contemporary fiction is realistic
with contemporary characters, events and dialogue
EXAMPLES THAT FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY ARE:
 The curious incedent of the dog in the night-time by mark haddon
 The life of pi by yann martel
 Titles by new zealand authors such as kate de goldi, fleur beale and
ted dawe
FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIP

 Books that reflect children and teens (and even adults) having to undergo
some kind of inner conflict or interpersonal conflict at some point in their
life – including ‘coming of age’ stories. This may involve RELATIONSHIP,
BULLYING, DECISIONS MAKING OR IDENTITY CRISIS.
EXAMPLES THAT RESONATEWITH THIS GENRE INCLUDE:
 Bruised by neil shulsterman
 Wonder by rj palacio
 I am not esther by fleur, a new zealand example
DIARIES
 Narrated in diary format, these FICTION OR NON-FICTION TALES ARE
PERSONAL RECOUNTS USUALLY PLAYED OUT DAY-BY-DAY. The narration
could be based on a adventure, an historical event or a personal
experience.
EXAMPLES ARE:
 The my story series written by various authors, which brings new
zealand’s past alive
 Diary of a wimpy kid by jeff kinney, which is very popular with young
readers
COMIC / HUMOR
(BLACK COMEDY, PARODY, SATIRE)
 Fiction FULL OF FUN, FANCY, AND EXCITEMENT, MEANT TO ENTERTAIN; but
can contained in all genres. Stories that cause you to smile or laugh out
loud at the quirkness of their characters or stories.
GOOD EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
 That brilliant just series by andy Griffiths
 Swim the fly by don calame
PARANORMAL
 Novels dealing with the paranormal or supernatural include themes such
as good and evil, relationships and conflict along with creatures such as
werewolves, vampires or ghosts. It’s the type of fiction where occurrences
cannot be logically explained, such as telekinesis or extrasensory
perception. These novels span other genres such as fantasy, mystery,
horror and romance.
EXAMPLES ARE:
 the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
 the Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater
 the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series by Joan Aiken, is an older example of
this genre.
EROTIC FICTION
 The erotic fiction book genre is made up of books that present the sexual
aspects of love front and center. The books in the erotic genre have subtle
sexual innuendo up to explicit descriptions of sexual acts. They also
contain taboo elements of sexual fantasy, homosexuality, sado-
masochism, and fetishes. The stories are designed to arouse the reader by
feeding and expanding their personal sexual fantasies.
 Sometimes the erotic genre and romance genre can be crossed over and
confused, as some romance has strong sexual content and scenes. Also, the
erotic genre often contains love and a happy ending, making it seem like
taboo romance. To tell the difference, one should keep in mind that
explicitly detailed sexual scenes can bump a romance into the erotic genre.
FABLES
 A fable is a short piece of fiction that features animals in the role of
the protagonist and usually includes or illustrates a moral.
 A fable can also have other inanimate objects, mythical creatures, or
forces of nature as main characters.
 The distinguishing feature of a fable is
The anthropomorphism or personification involved that leads to a moral
lesson being taught. At times, this moral lesson is summed up at the end of
the fable in a short maxim.
 The word fable comes from the Latin word fābula, meaning “a story or
tale.” A person who writes fables is called a fabulist.
FOLK TALES & FAIRY TALES

 A folk tale is a story with origins rooted in what is coined as oral tradition.
This means that the story has been orally passed from one generation to
another. Since folk tales rarely have written accounts, the story can have
added or eliminated elements as they are retold from the perspective of a
particular teller. Today, folk tales have already taken a written form.
 A fairytale, on the other hand, also takes its roots from oral tradition, but
involve magical creatures such as dragons, ogres, witches, and unicorns.
 While a folk tale derives its story from real-life phenomena, fairytales are
made up. Simply put, a folk tale is a story with a basis in events that are
true-to-life, while fairytales are works of fiction.
HISTORICAL FICTION
 These novels have the story and characters pitched against a significant
backdrop of time or history of a place or country. War, social history and
political instability often feature, as in:
 The Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshisset
 In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner set against the
Cambodian killing fields.
 Other notable examples include:
 Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, which is set during WWII and
was named the Michael L. Printz Honor Book in 2013
 All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, about a German
orphan and a blind French girl during the Nazi Occupation of
France. This book is a good example of the type of fiction history
teachers could recommend for students of World War II.
LGBT GENRE
 This genre of literature deals with the struggle for identity, acceptance and
relationships of protagonists who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender.
EXAMPLES ARE:
 How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity edited by Michael
Cart, a short story collection
 The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd
LITERARY FICTION
 Literary fiction explores subtleties and complexities of language, theme
and symbolism and tends to be character-driven rather than plot driven.
 Examples of literary fiction include the modernist author Virginia Woolf’s
book To the Lighthouse and the novels of Nobel-winning authors such as
Toni Morrison and J.M. Coetzee.
DYSTOPIAN
 Dystopian fiction is set in new or alternative worlds, or futuristic
societies and is characterised by degradation in values, social
hierarchy, terror and oppression. These titles often include elements of
science fiction, conflict and romance
EXAMPLES ARE:
 The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
 The Maze Runner series by James Dashner
 The Divergent trilogy by Veronika Roth
 Blood of the Lamb trilogy by Mandy Hagar, a New Zealand example
 1984 by George Orwell's
 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
METAFICTION
 Meta means about, so metafiction is fiction that is about fiction. In other
words, fiction that thinks, and even talks, about itself. It's kind of self-
conscious.
 So if the story you're reading is about, well, writing stories, that's
metafiction. If the book you're reading acknowledges itself as a book, that's
metafiction. If the author jumps into the action and says, "Look at me! I'm
the author! Watch me write!" that's metafiction.

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FORMS OF LITERATURE

 PROSE – composed freely, no measurement scheme, divided into

(ALL CATEGORIES OF BOOKS OR STORIES CAN BE CALLED EITHER FICTION OR

 A made up story  Has facts that can be checked

FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIP

FOLK TALES & FAIRY TALES

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