Different Literary Genres and Forms

Fiction Genres:

Fairy Tales
Literary genre that is a story, usually for children, about elves, hobgoblins, dragons, fairies, or
other magical creatures.

Fantasy
Literary genre that is an imaginative or fanciful work, esp. one dealing with supernatural or
unnatural events or characters

Folktales.
Literary genre that is a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk,
especially forming part of the oral tradition of the common people. Any belief or story passed on
traditionally, especially one considered to be false or based on superstition.

Fable
Literary genre that is a brief allegorical narrative, in verse or prose, illustrating a moral thesis or
satirizing human beings. The characters of a fable are usually animals who talk and act like people while
retaining their animal traits.

Adventure
Literary genre pertaining to an exciting or very unusual experience, participation in exciting
undertakings or enterprises, a bold, usually risky undertaking, or hazardous action of uncertain outcome.

Nonfiction Genres:
-a vast category that is a type of prose and includes many different sub-genres.
Non-fiction can be creative, such as the personal essay, or factual, such as the scientific paper.
It is to tell a story (hence the autobiography), but most of the time the purpose is to pass on information
and educate the reader about certain facts, ideas, and/or issues.

Informational
Literary genre that is intended for teaching and related informational purposes primarily intended
to educate rather than entertain.

Biography
Literary genre that is a written account of another persons life or the reconstruction in print or on
film, of the lives of real men and women.

Autobiography
Literary genre that is a history of a persons life written or told by that person or an individuals
interpretation of his own life.





The main and the most commonly known genres and forms of literature are:
Poetry
Drama
Prose
Nonfiction
Media
Folktales
Poetry
This is often considered the oldest form of literature. Before writing was invented, oral
stories were commonly put into some sort of poetic form to make them easier to remember and
recite. Poetry today is usually written down, but is still sometimes performed.
Types of Poetry
Lyric Poetry - is a comparatively short, non-narrative poem in which a single speaker
presents a state of mind or an emotional state.
Narrative Poetry - gives a verbal representation, in verse, of a sequence of connected events,
it propels characters through a plot.
Descriptive Poetry - is poetry in which it is not imaginative passion that prevails, but a
didactic purpose or even something of the instinct of a sublimated auctioneer. In other
words, the landscape, architecture, still life or whatever may be the object of the poet's
attention, is not used as an accessory, but is itself the centre of interest.
Prose
Can be defined as any kind of written text that isnt poetry (which means drama). The most
typical varieties of prose are novels and short stories, while other types include letters, diaries and
journals. Prose is written in complete sentences and organized in paragraphs. Instead of focusing
on sound, which is what poetry does, prose tends to focus on plot and characters.
Dramas
Are usually called plays. Story or situation which usually presents some sort of conflict.
Media
The newest type of literature that has been defined as a distinct genre. This categorization
was created to encompass the many new and important kinds of texts in our society today, such as
movies and films, websites, commercials, billboards, and radio programs. Any work that doesnt
exist primarily as a written text can probably be considered media, particularly if it relies on
recently developed technologies.