literary genre and subgenres

literary

of or about literature

literary genre

a type or category of literature

literature

books and other writing, usually by expert authors

fiction

(genre) a story that did not actually happen in real life

nonfiction

(genre) writing that is real or factual

drama

(genre) a play for theater told by character dialogue (talking)

poetry

(genre) writing that uses language and sounds in special ways to express ideas

literary subgenre

a smaller category of literature within a genre

comedy

(subgenre of drama) a funny, or humorous, drama with a happy ending

tragedy

(subgenre of drama) a drama that ends in death and sadness

historical fiction

(subgenre of fiction) a fiction story based on real history

folklore

(subgenre of fiction) old stories in a culture

fantasy

(subgenre of fiction) a story in a fantasy world

science fiction

(subgenre of fiction) a story in the future with advanced technology, or aliens

mystery

(subgenre of fiction) a story about a crime

romance

(subgenre of fiction) a love story

realistic fiction

(subgnere of fiction) a story that seems real but isn't

thriller or suspence

(subgenre of fiction) a story that makes readers nervous or excited

autobiography

(subgenre of nonfiction) a story about a story the author writes about himself or herself

biography

(subgenre of nonfiction) a story about a person's life

narrative nonfiction

(subgenre of nonfiction) a story that happened in real life

periodicals

(subgenre of nonfiction) magazines, newspapers, and journals written regulary

reference materials

(subgenre of nonfiction) books with facts in alphabetical order--includes dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia

lyric

(subgenre of poetry) a poem about the speaker's thoughts--includes elegy, ode, and sonnet, and haiku

narrative

(subgenre of poetry) a poem that tells a story--includes epic, a long poem about a hero

dramatic

(subgenre of poetry) words spoken by a character--includes soliloquy, dialogue, and monologue