Genre Characteristics

TRADITIONAL
LITERATURE
AND FOLKTALES

The songs, stories, myths,
and proverbs of a people as
handed down orally before
they were ever written
down.

Fairy Tales

Stories with fairies or other
magical creatures, usually
for children. A modern fairy
tale is written in a traditional
style with the
elements of folklore but
with a contemporary twist.

Tall Tales

Stories with a definite
setting in fairly modern
times that exaggerate or are
based on the traits of a
person who may have
actually existed.

Legends

Stories, sometimes of a
national or folk hero, which
have a basis in fact but also
include imaginative
material.

Myths

Legend or traditional
narrative, often based in
part on historical events,
that reveal human behavior
and natural phenomena by
its symbolism.

Fables

Narration demonstrating a
useful truth, especially in
which animals speak as
humans.

Proverbs

A one-sentence utterance
that holds the conventional
wisdom of the ages.

Memoirs

A record of events based on
the writer's own observation

Journals and
Diaries

A log written by an author
at regular intervals.

Letters, Postcards,
Personal
Correspondence

Personal written communications.

Autobiographies

A story of a person's life
written by that person.

Individual
Biographies

A story of a person's life
written by an individual
with exceptional knowledge
of the subject.

Collective
Biographies

Biographies of many individuals
in the same book.

INFORMATIONAL
BOOKS

Factual presentations of
documented knowledge.

Essays

A short literary composition
that reflects the
author's outlook or point of
view.

Process
Explanations

An essay that explains how
to do something.

FICTION

Stories from an author's
imagination usually with an
emphasis on character
development. May be
realistic or not (see various
categories following).

Picture Books

Books with many pictures
where the story depends
upon the pictures. There
can be picture books of
almost any genre.

Historical Fiction

Imaginative stories with
fictional characters and
events in a historical setting.

Adventure Stories

Stories of survival or life in
the great outdoors.

Sports Stories

Events and activities within
the story deal with the
characters' participation in
sports.

Animal Realism

An imaginative story in
which an animal is a central
character that behaves in a
manner true to the breed;
usually realistic

FANTASY

Fiction with strange or
otherworldly settings or
characters; fiction that
invites suspension of reality;
fiction that depends on
magic or the impossible or
inexplicable.

Animal Fantasy

Form of fantasy in which
the main characters are
animals. Animal stories are
characterized by the extent
to which the animals take
on human characteristics.

Science Fiction

Set in a future that scientific
or technological advance
could or might make
possible.

REALISTIC
FICTION

A story that can actually
happen and is true to life.

Contemporary
Realistic Fiction

Accurately depicts life as it
could be lived today

Mysteries

Imaginative stories dealing
with the solution of a
secret, problem, or crime,
and involving suspense or
intrigue.

POETRY

Although difficult to define,
poetry is brief, intense, and
patterned when compared
with prose. "Poetry is a type
of literature in which the
sound and meaning of
language are compiled to
create ideas and feelings."
(Arbuthnot)

SPEECH, DRAMA,
AND READER'S
THEATRE

Public address or discourse