Types of Fiction - AP Lit

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that has a hidden, deeper meaning. Characters and events act as symbols. They stand for abstract ideas, moral principles, or political events.

Anecdote

A short, interesting, or amusing story about a real person or event, usually told to illustrate a specific point or entertain an audience.

Autobiography

The story of a real person's life, written or told by that same person.

Biography

A detailed account of a real person's life written by someone else.

Fable

A short, fictional story that teaches a clear moral lesson.

Gothic

Genre of fiction that blends horror, death, and gloom with romantic elements like extreme emotion and eerie settings.

Legend

A traditional story based on a real person or historical event that is exaggerated or changed through generations of storytelling.

Myth

A traditional, sacred story from an anonymous origin that uses supernatural beings, gods, and heroes to explain how the world works, how a culture began, or why natural and social phenomena occur.

Narrative

A spoken, written, or visual account of connected events forming a story.

Parody

A creative work that imitates the style, tone, or specific content of another well-known writing or author in an exaggerated way for comic effect, critique, or homage.

Short Story

A brief work of fictional prose that can typically be read in a single sitting and aims to create a single, unified effect.

Tall Tale

A distinct genre of folk literature featuring outrageous exaggerations, larger-than-life characters, and impossible events told with a straight face.

Magical Realism

A literary style that places magical or supernatural events into an otherwise normal, realistic world.