Post on 01-Jul-2020
Genre: a distinctive category
of literary composition
Literature Genre: marked by
distinctive style, form and content.
One is just right for YOU!
5 Main Genres
NON-FICTION: real, factual, deals
with actual people, places, and events
FICTION: unreal, not true, not factual,
a made up story
FOLKLORE: stories once passed
down orally
DRAMA: a play or script
POETRY: writing concerned with the
beauty of language—economy of
words
Drama Fiction Poetry Folklore Nonfiction
Tragedy
Comedy Realistic
Fiction
Fable
Historical
Fiction
Fantasy
Myth
Science
Fiction
Tall Tale
Legend
Fairy Tale
Biography
Autobiography
Persuasive
Writing
Informational
Writing
Autobiography
LATIN ROOT: auto = self
Form of nonfiction (true)
Story of a real person’s life
Graphe means to write
Written by the person the story is about
Author does not need to do research
Author shares how he/she feels and what he/she thinks
When genre has blurred lines:
MEMOIR: Technically, memoir is non-fiction. It differes from
autobiography in that it covers a small period in the
author’s life; not meant to be comprehensive. Some of the
details may be fabricated or “memory”—thus, there is a
fictional aspect to a memoir.
Biography
LATIN ROOT: bio = life
Form of nonfiction (true)
Story of a real person’s life
Graphe means to write
Written by a person who is not the main person in the story
Author needs to do research
Author shares how he/she feels and what he/she thinks
Realistic Fiction
Form of fiction (not true)
Accurately reflects life as it could be lived
today
Everything in the story could happen to real
people living in our natural physical world
The characters have normal human
characteristics
Story may be set in real places, but the
story is NOT based on history
Historical Fiction
Form of fiction (not true)
Based on historical events
Authentic settings
Characters portrayed in realistic
manner
Some characters may be actual
people from history, but the story is
fictional
Artistic mix of fiction and historical fact
Science Fiction
Form of fiction (not true)
Contains some sort of scientific element, such as
Outer space
Medicine
Technology
Within the realm of possibility
Characters have some believable traits/qualities
Fantasy
Form of fiction (not true)
Contains one or more of the following:
supernatural occurrences
characters with magical powers
things with magical powers
animals with human characteristics
real people in fantastic places
fantastic creatures or characters in real situations
High Fantasy
Form of fiction (not real)
Good vs. evil (supernatural/evil forces)
Story written in a series of books/ volumes
Coming- of- age themes
Include fantastical elements, such as: Elves and dwarves
Magic
Wizards
Invented languages
quests
FOR ENRICHMENT PURPOSES:
Mystery
Form of fiction (not true)
Story revolves around a puzzle/problem
Characters deal with the solution to a
puzzle/problem, such as
finding a missing item/person
unraveling a secret
rationalize an event that is not explained
Contains clues/hints that help the
characters and readers solve the
puzzle/problem
Folktales
Form of fiction (not true)
Story that teaches a lesson
Contain the beliefs and customs of a
region or country
Original story is modified to make it
more interesting or more humorous
Present larger-than-life characters
and very unusual happenings
Fables
Form of fiction (not true)
Type of folktale
Ends in a moral or lesson
Characters are animals that talk and
act like humans
A character usually represents a
single human characteristic, such as
a fox being symbolic of a trickster
Legend
Form of fiction (not true)
Stories written about a real life hero and his/her mighty deeds
Mix of fiction and historical facts that have been creatively altered to encourage moral conduct and right choices
Leaves questions/wonder in the reader’s minds (Did Mike Fink really wrestle a grizzly bear?)
Myths
Form of fiction (not true)
Pertains to the actions of the gods
and/or goddesses
Characters are super-natural beings
with human emotions and qualities
Plot may involve interplay between
worlds (this world and
previous/original world)
“Classics”
Fiction, typically novels but can be dramas, poems, or even essays
What makes a classic? Timelessness: enjoyed by readers from generation to generation
Deals with universal themes and experiences that relate to readers, such as
love conquers all
good vs. evil
rags to riches
Communicates ideas across cultures
Unforgettable characters
DRAMAS
Stories written in script form.
DRAMA Subgenres:
Comedy: has a happy ending
Tragedy: ends in death/sadness
Tragicomedy: mixture of both
Poetry
Imaginative literature
Timelessness: enjoyed by readers from generation to generation
Deals with universal themes and experiences that relate to readers
Communicates ideas across cultures
Unforgettable lines
MANY, many subgenres in poetry. We WILL get them (i.e., sonnet, villanelle, ode, etc.) later in the year.
Let’s Practice What We Know
A. Fiction
B. Non-Fiction
#1 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
“Dogs and Cats” by Bob Brady
A five paragraph essay where the student Bob Brady compares and contrasts dogs and cats. He provides a lot of information about both.
Write the genre and subgenre on your paper.
#2 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
Your Science Textbook
Your science textbook contains much
of the human knowledge of Earth and the
universe.
Write the genre and subgenre on your
paper.
#3 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
In My Own Words by Eva Perón
Eva Perón writes the story of her life
from childhood to her rise in political power
in Argentina.
Write the genre and subgenre on your paper
#4 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
They Came from the Sun by Tom Mitchell
The story of a race of aliens that come
to enslave the residents of Earth with their
advanced weaponry. Only one teacher
can stop them, but is it too late?
Write the genre and subgenre on your
paper.
#5 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
“The Ant & The Grasshopper” Adapted by
Chad Peplum
The really short story of an Ant who works
hard all summer to prepare for winter and a
Grasshopper who just plays. Winter
comes and the Grasshopper freezes to
death. The moral is “prepare today for
tomorrow’s needs.”
#6 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by
Christopher Paul Curtis
It is the fictional story of an African
American family living in Flint, Michigan
who go to their grandmother's home in
Birmingham, Alabama in the year 1963.
The story is told around the 1963 16th
Street Baptist Church bombing in
Birmingham, an actual event in history.
#7 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
“Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind” retold
by Tom Cranes
Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind was the
toughest girl in the wild West. Right when
she was born, she looked up and said,
"Hello! I'm Sally Ann Thunder Ann
Whirlwind! And I am amazing!" She once
made a lasso out of live rattlesnakes, and
then she caught a tornado with that lasso.
#8 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
“Going, Going ... Green!” By Angela Gaimari
In this essay, Gaimari tries to convince people to do small things to help the environment. She gives readers many suggestions on how to live more eco-friendly and asks readers to make the change.
#9 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
by J.K. Rowling
The first book in the Harry Potter series.
Harry goes to wizard school and becomes
a Gryffindor. He learns to play quidditch, a
soccer like game played on flying
broomsticks, and he fights an evil within
the school with his newfound magic
powers.
#10 GENRE? SUBGENRE?
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
In his first year of middle school, the main
character Greg Heffley deals with “cooties,”
learning to wrestle, Halloween, acting in
the school play, and other problems that
many middle school students face.