Genre Notes – Answers

  1. The four main genres are stories, poetry, drama, and nonfiction.
  1. Stories, or fiction, are narratives about made-up characters and events.
  1. A story is usually written to entertain the reader, and it is characterized by plot, setting, and characters.
  1. Fiction takes four main forms: short stories, novels, novellas, and graphic novels.
  1. Short storiesoften focus on a singleevent. Most are short enough to read without taking a break.
  1. Novels are longer works of fiction that weave together many different events, storylines, and characters.
  1. Novellas are longer than a short storybut shorter than a novel. They usually feature a limited number of characters.
  1. Graphic novels are novels in comic stripformat.
  1. Fiction can be divided into many subgroups. Some of the most common ones are traditional literature, fantasy, science fiction, realistic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and horror.
  1. Traditional Literature is passed downfrom one group to another in history. It includesfolktales, legends, fables, fairytales, tall tales, and myths from different cultures.
  1. Fantasy includes elements that are impossible such as talking animals, magical powers, andimaginary worlds.
  1. Science fiction stories often tell about science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction relationship with the principles of science—these stories involve partially true-partially fictitious laws or theories of science.. It should not be completely unbelievable, because it then ventures into the fantasy genre.
  1. Stories that are realistic fictionuse realistic characters. These stories are made up, but they could happen in real life.
  1. Historical fiction stories are fictional, yet they are based on or around important peopleor events from the past. The setting is usually real and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters are usually fiction.
  1. Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery.
  1. A mystery is a genre of fiction in which a detective, either an amateur or a professional, solves a crime or a series of crimes.
  1. Poetry is a type of literature in which words are chosen and arranged in a precise way to create certain sounds and meanings. Poems are made up of lines, which are often arranged into groups called stanzas.
  1. Drama refers to any work written to be performed on a stage. It is divided into scenes and primarily written as dialogue between characters. The setting, characters’ movements, and props are described through stage directions.
  1. Nonfiction is written work based on facts.Although some are entertaining, most are written to inform the reader. Types of nonfiction include autobiography/biography, essay, speech, news/feature articles, functional texts.