Genres and Sub-Genres

• Two major types of writing:

– Fiction

– Nonfiction

• Subgenres for fiction

– Short stories, novels, plays, poetry

• Subgenres for non-fiction:

– Biographies, Autobiographies

Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is made up of stories that

could really happen. Contemporary

realistic fiction is realistic fiction that is

set in modern times.

Examples of Realistic

Fiction Because of Winn Dixie

Crash

Owl Moon

Shiloh

Summer of the Swans

Babysitter Club series

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is made up of stories that take place

in a certain time and place in the past. Real historical

figures and settings may be included in a fiction story.

Examples of Historical Fiction

A Boy at War

Across Five Aprils

Ben and Me

The Butterfly

Charlie Skedaddle

Sign of the Beaver

Titanic Crossing

Dear America Series

Folklore

Folklore includes stories, myths, and fables that people told one another over the years. Later the stories were written down.

Examples of Folklore

Aesop’s Fables

Beauty and the Beast

The Bunyans

Cinderella

John Henry

The Talking Eggs

The Tortoise and the Hare

Fantasy Fantasy is fiction that has elements that are

not real. Sometimes this includes talking

animals or characters with magical powers.

There’s usually a conflict between good and

evil.

Examples of Fantasy

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Charlotte’s Web

The Wreck of the Zephyr

Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe

Lord of the Rings

Harry Potter Series

Mystery

Mysteries are stories that have a

real setting and a problem to be

solved that includes clues,

distractions, and an answer to the

problem.

Examples of Mystery The House of Dies Drear

Never Say Die

The Treehouse Mystery

Mystery of the Midnight Message

Encyclopedia Brown Series

Boxcar Children Mysteries

Science Fiction

Science Fiction is made up of stories that blend fact and fiction with futuristic technology.

Examples of Science Fiction Aliens for Breakfast

A Wrinkle in Time

My Best Friend is Invisible

Star Wars

The Time Machine

Poetry Poetry is verse written to inspire thoughts and

feelings in the reader. It often uses rhyme and

rhythm, or it can be written in free verse.

Examples of Poetry Where the Sidewalk Ends

New Kid on the Block

Chocolate Dreams: Poems

Mammalabilia

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

Love That Dog

Informational

Informational books are nonfiction books that give true facts on a variety of subjects.

Examples of

Informational Writing

Dirt Bikes

Flying Animals

Danger! Earthquakes

Newspapers

Encyclopedias

Biography

A biography is the true story of a real person’s life from the past or present.

Examples of Biography

Tiger Woods: An American Master

The HomerunKings: BabeRuth and

Henry Aaron

Clara Barton, a Red Cross Pioneer

Sacagawea

Sub-genre Characteristics Summary

• Folktale— passed down in a culture and often

explains events in nature

• Myth—old story told to explain something about

nature or human behavior and often contains

Greek and Roman Gods.

• Fable—a brief story that teaches a moral or

religious lesson that usually has speaking animals,

plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature as

characters.

Sub-genre Characteristics Summary

• Parable—a brief story or poem that teaches

a lesson or moral that uses mainly people as

characters.

• Legend—an old story that is told as if it

really happened, but it is unlikely to be true

and is usually focused on an extraordinary

person.

Sub-genre Characteristics Summary

• Science fiction—a story with a future-based plot

that is often based on scientific theory, like aliens.

• Historical fiction—a story written about a period

of history that often includes well-researched

historical truths.

• Realistic fiction—a story set in the present that

seems true and may appear to be a non-fiction

account.

Sub-genre Characteristics Summary

• Poetry – Couplet—two lines of verse next to each other that

rhyme.

– Sonnet—a rhymed poem with one speaker that consists of 14 lines.

– Ballad—a poem that tells a story in rhythmic verse, usually rhymes

– Elegy—a poem that expresses sadness over death or the passing of time.

– Epic—a poem with a long plot relating to the adventures of a hero.