Genre: a distinctive category of literary composition

1
Genre a distinctive category of literary
composition
2
Are You for Real?

• NON-FICTION real, factual, deals with actual
  people, places, and events
• FICTION unreal, not true, not factual, a made up
  story

3
Biography

• Story of a real persons life
• Form of nonfiction (true)
• Bios means life
• Graphe means to write
• Author must do research by interviewing the
  subject or those who knew the subject

4
Realistic Fiction

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Accurately reflects life as it could be lived
  today
• Everything in the story could happen to real
  people living in our natural physical world
• The characters have normal human characteristics
• Story may be set in real places, but the story is
  NOT based on history

5
Autobiography

• Form of nonfiction (true)
• Story of a real persons life
• Auto means self
• Bios means life
• Graphe means to write
• Written by the person the story is about
• Author does not need to do research
• Author shares how he/she feels and what he/she
  thinks

6
Historical Fiction

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Based on historical events
• Authentic settings
• Characters portrayed in realistic manner
• Some characters may be actual people from
  history, but the story is fictional
• Artistic mix of fiction and historical fact

7
Science Fiction

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Contains some sort of scientific element, such as
• Outer space
• Medicine
• Technology
• Within the realm of possibility
• Characters have some believable traits/qualities

8
Fantasy

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Contains one or more of the following
• supernatural occurrences
• characters with magical powers
• things with magical powers
• animals with human characteristics
• real people in fantastic places
• fantastic creatures or characters in real
  situations

9
Fantasy

• Form of fiction (not real)
• Good vs. evil (supernatural/evil forces)
• Story written in a series of books/ volumes
• Coming- of- age themes
• Include fantastical elements, such as
• Elves and dwarves
• Magic
• Wizards
• Invented languages
• quests

10
Mystery

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Story revolves around a puzzle/problem
• Characters deal with the solution to a
  puzzle/problem, such as
• finding a missing item/person
• unraveling a secret
• rationalize an event that is not explained
• Contains clues/hints that help the characters and
  readers solve the puzzle/problem

11
Folktales

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Story that teaches a lesson
• Contain the beliefs and customs of a region or
  country
• Original story is modified to make it more
  interesting or more humorous
• Present larger-than-life characters and very
  unusual happenings

12
Fables

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Type of folktale
• Ends in a moral or lesson
• Characters are animals that talk and act like
  humans
• A character usually represents a single human
  characteristic, such as a fox being symbolic of a
  trickster

13
Legend

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Stories written about a real life hero and
  his/her mighty deeds
• Mix of fiction and historical facts that have
  been creatively altered to encourage moral
  conduct and right choices
• Leaves questions/wonder in the readers minds
  (Did Mike Fink really wrestle a grizzly bear?)

14
Myths

• Form of fiction (not true)
• Pertains to the actions of the gods and/or
  goddesses
• Characters are super-natural beings with human
  emotions and qualities
• Plot may involve interplay between worlds (this
  world and previous/original world)