LITERATURE

• Derived from the Latin litteratura

meaning "writing formed with letters,"
• Literature is most commonly refers to
works of the creative
• imagination, including poetry, drama,
fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and in
some instances, song.
GENRE
•a particular type of literature,
painting, music, film, or other
art form which people consider
as a class because it has special
characteristics.
 LITERARY GENRES
• A category of literary composition determined by
literary techniques, tone, content, or even
length. The distinction between genres and
categories are flexible and loosely defined, often
with subgroups.
• The most general genres in literature are epic,
tragedy, comedy, creative nonfiction.
• They can all be in the form of prose and poetry.
LITERARY CONVENTIONS
•Defining features of a particular
genre such as a novel, a short
story, or a play.
5 MAJOR GENRES
•Fiction
•Non Fiction
•Drama (Plays )
•Folktale
•Poetry
 SUBGENRES OF FICTION
SUBGENRE DEFINITION

MYSTERY TYPICALLY INVOLVES THE INVESTIGATION OF A

CRIME, MOST OFTEN ONE OR MORE MURDERS

HORROR AIMS TO FRIGHTEN OR DISGUST ITS READERS

FANTASY STORIES USE MAGIC OR SUPERNATURAL AS A

PRIMARY PLOT ELEMENT, THEME, OR SETTING

SCIENCE FICTION REFERS TO FUTURISTIC STORIES, RANGING FROM

THE HARD SCIENCE FICTION
 SUBGENRES OF NONFICTION
SUBGENRE DEFINITION

BIOGRAPHY A WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF ANOTHER PERSON’S LIFE

AUTOBIOGRAPHY GIVES THE HISTORY OF A PERSON’S LIFE, WRITTEN

OR TOLD BY THAT PERSON
ESSAY SHORT LITERARY COMPOSITION THAT REFLECTS
THE AUTHOR’S OUTLOOK OR POINT
SPEECH ABILITY TO EXPRESS ONE’S THOUGHTS AND
EMOTIONS BY SPEECH, SOUNDS, AND GESTURE
 SUBGENRES OF FOLKTALE
SUBGENRE DEFINITION

FABLE STORY ABOUT SUPERNATURAL OR EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE.

IN FABLES, ANIMALS OFTEN SPEAS AS HUMANS

MYTH BASED IN PART ON HISTORICAL EVENTS, THAT REVEALS

HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND NATURAL PHENOMENA BY ITS
SYMBOLISM
FAIRY TALE STORIES ABOUT FAIRIES OR OTHER MAGICAL CREATURES,
USUALLY FOR CHILDREN

LEGEND STORY THAT SOMETIMES OF A NATIONAL OR FOLK HERO

 SUBGENRES OF DRAMA
SUBGENRE DEFINITION

PLAYS USUALLY CONSISTING OF DIALOGUE OR SINGING BETWEEN

CHARACTERS, INTENDED FOR THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE
RATHER THAN JUST READING
MUSICAL THESE PLAYS HAVE SONGS TO HELP EXPLAIN THE STORY AND
MOVE THE IDEAS OF THE PLAY ALONG
TRAGEDY THESE PLAYS CONTAIN DARKER THEMES SUCH AS DEATH AND
DISASTER

COMEDY PLAYS WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO BE HUMOROUS

 SUBGENRES OF POETRY
SUBGENRE DEFINITION

NARRATIVE POETRY POETRY THAT TELLS A STORY; OLDEST TYPE OF POETRY

LYRIC POETRY POETRY THAT DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO TELL A STORY BUT
INSTEAD IS OF A MORE PERSONAL NATURE
ELEGY MOURNFUL, MELANCHOLY OR PLAINTIVE POEM

LIGHT POETRY IS POETRY THAT ATTEMPTS TO BE HUMOROUS