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Major Genres of Literature
Major Genres of Literature
GENRE
• A category of artistic works
that can be divided into
form, style or subject
matter.
• (Style or Type)
Our Genre List
It is important to remember that
this list does not include all types
of genres found in literary works.
Fiction
Non-fiction
Fiction
In this type of work, the author
may make up the entire story.
Autobiographies:
The biography of a
person written by
that person
Play
• Like a novel or a short story, a play
tells a story but it is written to be
acted out for an audience. Plays have
many unique literary elements such as
acts, scenes, stage directions, and
speech tags.
Poetry
• Poetry is an arrangement of words in
lines having rhythm. Sometimes those
lines rhyme, as in this narrative poem.
Elements
of a
Short Story
Objectives
• Identify and define
elements of a short story
• Demonstrate mastery of
short story elements by
creating story grammar
Setting
Characters, Plot,
and Theme
Elements of a Short Story
Setting
Tells the reader where and
when the story takes place.
Setting
Time and place are where the action
occurs
Details that describe:
Furniture
Scenery
Customs
Transportation
Clothing
Dialects
Weather
Time of day
Time of year
The Functions of a Setting
To create a mood or
atmosphere
To show a reader a
different way of life
To make action seem
more real
To be the source of
conflict or struggle
To symbolize an idea
Atmosphere
Characters and
Characterization
The people, and in some
stories, the animals that take
part in the story.
The description of the
personalities of the characters
in the story and the way in
which an author reveals their
personalities.
Two Identifications
of Characters
1. Protagonist –
the hero of the story
2. Antagonist –
the villain in the story
who is always
opposing the
protagonist
Methods of Characterization
Creating Believable Characters
• Indirect • Direct
– physical appearance
– the narrator’s
– speech, thoughts, direct
feelings, or actions of comments
the character about a
character
– speech, thoughts,
feelings, or actions of
other characters
Plot
• The chain of related events
that take place in a story.
• Built around conflict, which
is a struggle between
opposing forces.
Plot (definition)
• Plot is the organized
pattern or sequence of
events that make up a
story.
• Plot is the literary
element that describes
the structure of a story.
It shows arrangement
of events and actions
within a story.
Parts of a Plot
Exposition - introduction; characters,
setting and conflict (problem) are
introduced
Rising Action- events that occur as
result of central conflict
Climax- highest point of interest or
suspense of a story
Falling Action - tension eases; events
show the results of how the main
character begins to resolve the conflict
Resolution- loose ends are tied up; the
conflict is solved
Plot Diagram
3
4
2
1
5
1. Exposition
• This usually occurs at the beginning of a short
story. Here the characters are introduced.
We also learn about the setting of the story.
Most importantly, we are introduced to the
main conflict (main problem).
2. Rising Action
• This part of the story begins to develop the
conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense
occurs and leads to the climax. Complications
arise
3. Climax
• This is the turning point of the story. Usually the
main character comes face to face with a conflict.
The main character will change in some way. This
is the most intense moment.
4. Falling Action
• Action that
follows the climax
and ultimately
leads to the
resolution
5. Resolution
• The conclusion; all
loose ends are tied up.
• Either the character
defeats the problem,
learns to live with the
problem, or the
problem defeats the
character.
Putting It All Together
1. Exposition Beginning of
Story
2. Rising Action
Middle of Story
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
End of Story
5. Resolution
Diagram of Plot
Climax
Introduction/
Exposition Resolution
Setting,
characters, and
conflict are
introduced
Special Techniques used in a Story
Suspense- excitement, tension,
curiosity
Foreshadowing- hint or clue about
what will happen in story
Flashback- interrupts the normal
sequence of events to tell about
something that happened in the past
Special Techniques used in a Story
Character vs Character
Character vs Nature
Character vs Society
Examples
Examples
Examples
Examples
is searching
for food—
8
Dinner is on the house.
9
•What is poetry?
•Poetry is not prose. Prose is the ordinary language
people use in speaking or writing.
•Poetry is a form of literary expression that captures
intense experiences or creative perceptions of the
world in a musical language.
•Basically, if prose is like talking, poetry is like singing.
•By looking at the set up of a poem, you can see the
difference between prose and poetry.
Distinguishing Characteristics of Poetry
• Unlike prose which has a narrator, poetry has a
speaker.
– A speaker, or voice, talks to the reader. The speaker is not
necessarily the poet. It can also be a fictional person, an
animal or even a thing
Example
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you.
from “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
Distinguishing Characteristics of Poetry
• Poetry is also formatted differently from
prose.
– A line is a word or row of words that may or
may not form a complete sentence.
– A stanza is a group of lines forming a unit. The
stanzas in a poem are separated by a space.
Example
Open it.
Example #2
When you are old and grey and full of sleep
W.B. Yeats
Connotation and Denotation
thrifty penny-pinching
pushy aggressive
politician statesman
chef cook
slender skinny
Elements of Poetry
Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare