EHNGLISH LITERATURE 
 
 
 
 
 

Usman Khalid 
Bs Mass communication section B  
SECOND SEMESTER 
 
 
 
   
Biography 
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just 
the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience 
of these life events 

Autobiography 
An autobiography is a self-written account of the life of oneself 

Essay 
An essay is a short piece of writing that expresses information as well as the writer’s opinion. 

Letter 
a letter is a symbol representing a speech sound or a written message. 

Diary 
A diary is a datebook or journal where you record events, emotions, thoughts or feelings. 

Textbook 
Textbook means a book used to teach about a subject. 

Speech 
Speech is communication through talking or a talk given to an audience 

Journal 
Journal is a diary you keep of daily events or of your thoughts or a publication dealing with a 
specific industry or field. 

Erotic literature  
Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of ​eros​ – passionate, 
romantic or sexual relationships – intended to arouse similar feelings in readers 

Narrative nonfiction, 
Narrative nonfiction, often also referred to as creative nonfiction, is a literary term for a text that 
presents a true story written in a style more closely associated with fiction. 

Religious texts 
Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. They differ from literary texts by being a 
compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual practices, commandments or laws, 
ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations and by creating or fostering a religious community 

 
Tragicomedy  
Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms

Philosophy
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when 
considered as an academic discipline. 

Romance 
In the strictest academic terms, a romance is a narrative genre in literature that involves a 
mysterious, adventurous, or spiritual story line where the focus is on a quest that involves 
bravery and strong values, not always a love interest. 

Satire 
Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of 
an individual or a society, by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule. It intends to improve 
humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles 

Tragedy 
Tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis 
or pleasure in audiences 

Comedy 
Comedy is a literary genre and a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, 
mostly having a cheerful ending.  

Drama 
Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the 
literary genres, which is an imitation of some action.  

Literary techniques 
Literary techniques are specific, deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to 
convey meaning. An author's use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or 
phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. 

Content 
Content is defined as what is inside or included in something. An example of content is beans 
inside of a jar. An example of content is the words inside a book. 

Tone​In literature, the tone of a literary work expresses the writer's attitude toward or feelings 
about the subject matter and audience 
Short Stories 

a story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel. 

Poetry 
Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of 
distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature 

Science fiction 
Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or 
environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets 

Mystery 
Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain 

Tall tale 
A tall tale is a long and complicated story that is difficult to believe because most of the events 
it describes seem unlikely or impossible. 

Fable 
A fable is a short story with a moral (life lesson) at the end 

Fairy​ t​ ale 
A children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands; a fairy story 

Narrative fiction 
Narrative fiction is the succession of events narrated in verbal medium. The events do not have 
to be real, they can be taking place in a possible world, but the elements of thenarrative have to 
constitute a coherent whole. 

Mythology 
A collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition 

Heroic 
Heroic means having the qualities of a hero, such as bravery. ... That's heroic. Literature offers 
many examples of heroic characters, who by their strength or their wiles or both overcame 
almost impossible obstacles 

Paranormal​Denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the
scope of normal scientific understanding  

 
 
Fantasy of manners 
The fantasy of manners is a subgenre of fantasy literature that also partakes of the nature of a 
comedy of manners 

Hard fantasy 
Hard fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literature that strives to present stories set in (and often 
centered on) a rational and knowable world 

Magic realism 
A literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined 
with surreal elements of dream or fantasy 

Epic fantasy  
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, defined either by the epic nature of its 
setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. 

Mythic 
Mythic fiction is literature that is rooted in, inspired by, or that in some way draws from the 
tropes, themes and symbolism of myth, legend, folklore, and fairy tales. 

Contemporary fantasy 
Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy or indigenous fantasy, is a subgenre of 
fantasy, set in the present day or, more accurately, the time period of the maker 

Historical fantasy 
Historical fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, related to historical fiction. It includes stories set in 
a specified historical period but with some element of fantasy added to the world 

Sword and sorcery 

Comic fantasy 
Comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Usually set 
in imaginary worlds, comic fantasy often includes puns on and parodies of other works of 
fantasy 

Weird​Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and early 20th 
centuries. John Clute defines weird fiction as a "Term used loosely to describe Fantasy, 
Supernatural Fiction and Horror tales embodying ​transgressive​ material" 

 
 
Legend 
Legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions perceived or 
believed both by teller and listeners to have taken place within human history. Narratives in this 
genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the tale 
verisimilitude. 

Humor
The quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech. 

Historical fiction 
Historical fiction is defined as movies and novels in which a story is made up but is set in the 
past and sometimes borrows true characteristics of the time period in which it is set 

Horror 
Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle its 
readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. 

Folklore 
The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by 
word of mouth. 

REALISTIC FICTION
REALISTIC FICTION​ is a genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or 
animals in a believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within 
these stories react similarly to real people 

Fiction In verse 
A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the 
medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be 
used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voices, dialogue, narration, description, and 
action in a novelistic manner 

Shenmo 
The term shenmo xiaoshuo, which was coined in the early 20th century by the writer and literary 
historian Lu Xun, literally means "fiction of gods and demons". 

Dark fantasy 
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that in corporate darker and
frightening themes of fantasy

 
 
Science fantasy 
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within the umbrella of speculative fiction which 
simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and 
fantasy 

Low fantasy 
Low fantasy or intrusion fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction where magical events intrude 
on an otherwise normal world. It thus contrasts with high fantasy stories, which take place in 
fictional worlds with their own sets of rules and physical laws. 

Urban fantasy 
A type of fantasy fiction in which the narrative is set in a city. 

Superhero 
Any kind of fantasy/science fiction crime-fighting character, often with supernatural powers or 
equipment, in popular children's and fantasy literature.