division of literature 1/6

Genre

division of literature

major genre

prose, verse, drama

prose

written in standard form

verse

not written in standard form

drama

meant to be performed

minor genre

subdivision of literary forms

fiction

based on imagination

non fiction

NOT based on imagination

tragedy

branch or drama that is serious

comedy

literary drama that is amusing

Elizabethan/shakespearean sonnet

English sonnet named after William Shakespeare

petrarchan sonnet

Italian sonnet named after fransesco petrarch

bildungsroman

novel about moral growth of main character

colloquialism

expression that is accepted in informal situations

rite of passage

any important act that serves to mar a passage

allegory

an extended story with deeper meaning

revenge play

dramatic genre where protagonist seeks revenge

southern gothic

a genre that focuses on dark themes

novella

longer then a short story shorter then a novel

play-novelette

designed to be adapted for the stage

science fiction

fiction based on imagined science