A CLOSE LOOK

AT THE
LITERARY
GENRES
Lesson 1
LEARNING COMPETENCIES
At the end of the lesson the students are expected to:
1. Distinguish the major literary genres;
2. Compare and contrast the use of literary elements in different sample genres.
KEY WORDS

Poetry
Literature Fiction

Drama Other literary genres

VOCABULARY LIST
1. Literature- is an art form, usually written. It includes prose and poetry.
2. Fiction- uses ordinary language that depicts significant human. It has its
elements such character, setting, plot, and point-of-view. Its kinds are short
stories and novels.
3. Poetry- uses figurative language. It may be lyric, narrative or dramatic.
4. Drama- refers to a life story of actors and actresses, usually is performed on
a stage.
5. Other literary genres- are speeches diary entries, memoirs, etc.
INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY
GENRES
 Art of words

LITERATURE

Those imaginative works of poetry and prose

distinguished by the intentions of their Writings having excellence of form or
authors and the perceived aesthetic expression and expressing ideas of
excellence of their execution. permanent or universal interest.

EXCELLENCE EXPRESSION
FICTION CONTENT NONFICTION

PROSE TECHNIQUE POETRY

GENRES

DRAMA
FICTION

Refers to literary work which comes from the author’s imagination.

Through the fictional narrative, a writer may inform, entertain,
inspire, or even persuade. Fiction has three categories: realistic, non-
realistic, and semi-fiction.
1. Literary Fiction- it refers to literary works with artistic value and literary
merit. Political Criticism, Social Commentary, and reflections on humanity
are most often the content of literary fiction.
2. Mystery- also known as detective fiction, mystery often follows a plot with
a detective as character or someone playing detective and tries to solve a
case with a sprinkling of clues here and there, giving a readers a feel for
suspense, creates anticipation, and ultimately bares the truth with some
unexpected turns with nonetheless satisfying conclusion.
3. Thriller- this fiction type is characterized by dark, mysterious and
suspenseful plots. It rarely utilizes humor but highlights techniques like plot
twists, red herrings, and cliffhangers which can keep readers guessing until
the very end.
4. Horror- written to shock, startle, scare, and even repulse the readers, horror
fiction creates a horrifying sense of dread and may include characters like
ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and monsters. Horror themes may be of
death, demons, evil spirits, the afterlife, and even fear itself.
5. Historical – this type of fiction involves the creative use of research to be
able to transport readers to another time and place. This time and place may be
real, imagined, or a combination of both. Some historical fiction may utilize
characters who were historical figures and use rea events in history.
6. Romance- created with a light-hearted, oftentimes optimistic tone, and most
often a satisfying conclusion, romantic fiction highlights love stories between
people.
7. Western – stories of this type often portray characters and setting of the
western frontier like cowboys, outlaws, and settlers of the American Old West.
One distinct feature of this form is that it relies mostly on the specific locale,
culture, and language of that era in history.
8. Bildungsroman- literally translated as “a novel of education” or “a novel of
formation,” this form highlights the transition or metamorphosis of a character
from youth into adulthood. The transition from immaturity to maturity
experiences by the character may involve a profound loss, an insightful journey,
or an intense conflict.
11. Speculative fiction - This type may be a combination of different fiction
forms like dystopian, science fiction, and fantasy, or any other combination. The
setting may be in a world so unlike the world we live in. Considered as a
supergenre, writers of speculative fiction have limitless use of the possibilities
beyond the human imagination.
10.Science Fiction - Classified under speculative fiction, sci-fi uses elements that
do not exist in the real world. Inspired by both natural science (physics,
chemistry, and astronomy) and social sciences (psychology, anthropology, and
sociology), sci-fi stories may focus on time travel, space exploration, and
societies of the future.
11.Fantasy - Another type of speculative fiction, fantasy has imaginary
characters and worlds and may have influences of mythology and folklore which
can be appealing to both children and adults alike.
12.Dystopian - In contrast to utopian fiction which portrays a world better than
the one we have, dystopian fiction depicts a society that is worse than
ours. Dystopian fiction is also another type of science fiction.
13.Magical Realism - The world portrayed in magical realism is similar to our
real world but with added magical elements which are considered
“natural” in which the story takes place.
14.Realist literature - This type of fiction portrays a world very much
like ours, with all the elements created as truthful as it can be as it
happens in our world.
SUB-GENRES OF FICTION:
1. Short Story - Shorter in length than a novel, a short story is a fictional
prose work which usually focuses on one plot, one main character (with
a few additional minor characters), and one central theme. It aims at
unity of effect and creation of mood rather than on plot. Edgar Allan
Poe’s “The Philosophy of Composition” describes a short story as one
that “should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two
hours. In contemporary fiction, a short story can range from 1,000 to
20,000 words.”
2. Novel - A novel is a narrative prose work of considerable length that talks
about significant human experience. The novel’s beginnings date back to as
early as the writing of “Tale of Genji”by Murasaki Shikibu; later, in the early
seventeenth century, European novels came to be written (Prahl, 2019).
A novel is also characterized by the following: (1) written in prose form, (2)
considerable length or word count, (3) fictional content, and (4) individualism;
that is, it appeals to an individual audience as a reader rather than to a
group.
3. Myth - Derived from the Greek mythos, which has a range of meanings
from “word,” through “saying” and “story,” to “fiction,” a myth is a symbolic
narrative of unknown origin and tells events which are partly traditional and
associated with religious beliefs.
Myths are specific accounts with gods or superhuman beings as characters
involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is
unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human
experience. Mythology, on the other hand, refers to both the study of myth
and the body of myths belonging to a particular religious tradition
4.Legend - A legend is traditional tale which is thought to have
historical bases.
5.Fable - A fable is an instructive story about human social
behaviour with personified animals or natural objects as characters
and always ends with an explicit moral message. The concept of time
and space is also not specific in a fable
POETRY
POETRY DEFINED
Poetry is a means of sharing experiences, telling a story, or expressing feelings
or ideas through the use of language in a particular way. As opposed to prose
writing, poetry in written form has a distinct structure and words may form
patterns of sound, verse or thought. The creation of pictures with words is very
important in poetry, hence poets carefully choose words which will appeal to the
imagination of the readers and create vivid visual images.
 TWO APPROACHES OF POEM:

A)Narrative poem–It tells a story with an orientation,

complication, crisis, and resolution.
B)Lyrical poem–It conveys an experience, or ideas, thoughts or
feelings about a subject without necessarily having ‘something
happen.
DRAMA
A drama is a composition in either verse or prose presenting a story
through pantomime or dialogue. It contains conflict of characters,
particularly the ones who perform in front of the audience on the
stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as
a “dramatist” or “playwright.” The term “drama” is also used for the
type of play written for theater, television, radio, and films. Because
of the combination of performance, music, dance, props, and others
which enable the audience to feel like a part of the action, drama is
considered a unique and distinctive genre of literature.
FOUR DISTINCT TYPE OF
DRAMA:
A. Comedy - A comedy is a type of dramatic presentation which intends to
make the audience laugh through well-composed humorous elements. The story
may be about real-life characters, funny experiences in life, or any type of fun-
provoking situation. It may be sarcastic and raunchy, light in tone and has happy
endings. Since provoking laughter is not an easy task, comedy writers require
high level of intellect and perceptive faculties to attain the desired end for a
comedic presentation.
B.Tragedy - One of the oldest forms of drama, tragedy exposes the plight and
suffering of humans to the audience. Common tragic themes include ruins of a
dynasty, downfall of man, emotional betrayals, moral setback, personal loss,
death, and denials. A tragedy when composed and enacted well can touch the
audience deeply. These rarely have happy endings.
C. Melodrama - This type of drama uses a technique marked by surge of feelings
since melodrama highlights exaggeration of emotions. The technique intends to
make the character and the plot more appealing to the audience although it can
sometimes fail to derive applause, because excessive display of emotions can
become monotonous. On the other hand, a superbly-executed melodramatic plot
can absorb the audience’s attention completely. This happens when it effectively
depicts the good and evil aspects of the characters involved.
D. Musical drama - In a musical drama, the story is told through
acting and dialogue, as well as through dance and music, as well.
The story may be comedic, though it may also involve serious
subjects.
OTHER FORMS OF LITERARY
GENRES
A. Diaries/Journals - Diaries and journals both contain records of experiences
by its writer. A diary records events, transactions, or observations daily or at
frequent intervals. A journal, on the other hand, contains one’s experiences,
ideas and reflections but not necessarily on a daily basis.
B. Memoirs - A memoir is an author’s narrative of his or her experiences,
which makes it similar to an autobiography, but with certain distinguishable
characteristics. In terms of focus, memoirs highlight what the writer has
witnessed, more than the telling of his or her own life, character, and
developing self. Secondly, while a memoir talks about how one remembers
one's own life, an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, and
facts double-checked.
C. Speeches Merriam- Webster defines speech as “the communication or
expression of thoughts in spoken words.” Although speeches are not primary
genres of literature, its significance lies in the fact that these are important
historical documents or moments and literature. A formal address meant to be
given to an audience, speeches can be found in prose, drama, and poetry, and their
primary goals are to persuade, inform, demonstrate, or entertain a reader, an
audience, or other characters. They can also be used in nonfiction or fiction,
depending on their purpose and use. Some of the primary speech forms include
persuasive, informational, demonstrative, special occasion speech, and debate.
WRITTEN WORK 1
Directions: Can you recall some literary works which you have read? Can you
tell the genre form of those works? Try recalling some of them and fill in the
table below with the titles of sample genres that you know.
PERFORMANCE TASK 1
Directions: Read the following excerpts from literary works and try to guess its
genre form-whether it is fiction, poetry, or drama. Then give a reason for your
answer.