Literary Genre

1. Classification of Literature
Dr. Jeanneath D. Velarde
Dean,Arts and Sciences
Emilio Aguinaldo College - Cavite

2. Classification of Literature According to Genre
LITERARY GENRES
FICTION
NON-FICTION
POETRY Prose
Novels
Short Stories
Myths
Tales
Legends
Diaries
Autobiographies
Speeches
Essays
Biographies
Ode
Narrative
Epic
Sonnets
DramaticLyrics
Comedy
Melodrama
Tragedy
Historical
Play
Ballads
Metrical
Tale
Metrical
Romance
Elegy
Simple
Lyric
Song
Essays
Short Story
Novelette
Novel
Legends
Speeches
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3. Narrative Poetry tells a long story in verse.
• Epic is a long narrative poem in which a series of heroic
adventures are presented.
• Ballad is a short narrative poem intended to be sung. A
well known example of this is Lord Randall, a traditional
Scottish ballad, which employs a lot of repetition all
through out.
"O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son?
And where ha you been, my handsome young man?"
"I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down."
"An wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son?
And wha met ye there, my handsome young man?"
"O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I'm wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down."
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4. • Metrical tale is a narrative poem written in verse. Its
characters are ordinary people concerned with ordinary
events. Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is its best
example.
• Metrical Romance is a long rambling love story in verse.
The themes of most stories are chivalry or knighthood,
romantic love, and religious elements. Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight
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5. Lyric Poetry
• Ode is an song of praise for something or someone.
• Elegy is a song of lamentation. Its usual theme is about
death of a loved one.
• Song is also accompanied by music.
Sacred songs and Secular Songs
• Simple Lyric includes all lyric poems that do not fall under
any of the four types.
• Sonnet is a poem of 14 lines.
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6. Shakespearean Sonnet
• English sonnet written in iambic pentameter lines (pattern: bab-
cdcd-efef-gg). It presents and develops its theme in in the first
three quatrains and states a conclusion in the couplet, or the
last two lines.
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7. Sonnet 24
Mine eye hath play’d the painter and hath stell’d
Thy beauty’s form in table of my heart;
My body is the frame wherein ’tis held,
And perspective it is the painter’s art.
For through the painter must you see his skill,
To find where your true image pictured lies;
Which in my bosom’s shop is hanging still,
That hath his windows glazed with thine eyes.
Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done:
Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me
Are windows to my breast, where-through the sun
Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee;
Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art;
They draw but what they see, know not the heart.
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8. Petrarchan or Italian Sonnet
It contains an octave and a sestet (abbaabba-cdecde pattern)
where any of the following themes are presented: octave (8lines) ;
problem, hope, or desire, sestet (6 lines) presents the resolution or
conclusion
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9. DRAMATIC POETRY portrays life and character in extreme situations. The
characters present some actions in powerful, emotion packed lines like those of
Shakespeare’s plays.
• POETIC PLAYS
• Comedy is a type of drama which aims primarily to amuse,
hence it ends happily. It started in a ritual in honor of
Dionysius. Examples of comedies are Birds which ridiculed
Athenian democracy; Clouds which attacked the philosopher
Socrates; and Lysistrata which denounced war. Menander is
considered the best of the writers of the new comedy. The
word comedy comes from a Greek term “ komos” which
means festivity or revelry.
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10. • Tragedy is a type of drama in which the chief characters undergo a
morally significant struggle which ends disastrously. It presents
humanity having a sense of dignity and free will. There are three great
tragic writers. Aeschylus wrote 90 plays, out of which only 7 remained.
Prometheus Bound , a well known work, tells the story of the great Titan
Prometheus. He is a superhuman who stole fire from heaven and gave it
to mankind. Sophocles is a “golden age” writer who produced more than
100 plays. His drama, Antigone, is a model of self- sacrifice.He also
wrote the famous play Oedipus the King. Eurepides had written 92
plays, only 19 of which existed in full. His tragedies are about real men
and women instead of real characters. Aristotle called him the “ the most
tragic” because his plays are the most moving. His dramas are often
performed on the modern stage. His best well known dramas are
Medea, Trojan Women, Orestes and Electra.
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11. • Melodrama presents sensational actions, sentimental
love stories, and extravagant emotions that usually end up
happily.
• Farce is an exaggerated comedy based on humorous
situations. The characters use funny lines or situations that
are too ridiculous to be true. The characters seem to be
caricatures and the motives are undignified and absurd.
• Masque is a form of court pageantry that flourished in
England in the 16th century but was not revived later. It
had a prologue serving to introduce the group of actors who
came in a sort of decorative float.
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12. Historical Play / Histography is a drama based on the lives of
outstanding figures in history. Herodotus and Thucydides are
two important historians who flourished during the classical
age. Herodotus is commonly called the “Father of History,”
and hid writings contain the first truly literary use of
prose in western literature. His work presents a reverent
spirit, giving a certain air of moral dignity to the entire
composition. He is considered as the earliest and the best
historian by scholars. His works describe the war between
the Persians and the Greeks – the struggle for supremacy
between Europe and Asia , between civilization and barbarism,
freedom and despotism. Thucydides , they say, is a better
historian because of his critical use of sources, inclusion of
documents and laborious research that made his History of
Peloponnesian War a significant influence on later generations of
historians. Xenophon was the third historian who wrote Hellenica.
His writings were superficial but he wrote with authority on
military matters.

13. PROSE is written in paragraphs. For example, novels, novelettes, short stories,
legends, contemporary dramas, legends, fables ,essays, anecdotes, news, and
speeches.(fiction/nonpfiction)
A. Fiction
Novel is a long narrative with considerable number of characters and
setting.
Novelette is a prose narrative that is more elaborate than a short story but
can also be read in one sitting and can produce a single, concentrated
effect. Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” is an example of a
novelette.
Short Story is a short narrative which usually involves one or more major
characters, one plot, and a single conflict.
Legend is a story about the origin of things. The characters are normally
fictitious.
Myth is a fictional tale about god and goddesses .

14. • Fables have animals and other inanimate things that are
gifted with human attributes as characters.
• Anecdotes are short humorous stories about animas or
children.
• Fairy Tale is a story that presents folkloric characters such as
fairies, goblins, elves, giants, and other unusual creatures.
The story usually presents a happy ending.
• Folk tales are also called “migratory tales.” A folk tale is a
story which consist of one or a combination of many folklore
themes (motifs). They are handed from generation to
generation through word of mouth and spread all over the
world.

15. B. Non- Fiction
Autobiography is a combination of three Greek words “auton” which
means self, “bio” means life, and “graphein” to write. It tells about the
author’s own life story.
Biography is a written accounts of another person’s life.
Diary /Journal is a chronological presentation of life events . It
includes the writer’s observations, feelings and experiences.
Essays are classified into formal and informal. They usually express
the opinions of the writer about an event, people, or things. Michel
Eyquem de Montaigne is considered the Father of Modern Essay
while other philosophers call him the Father of Modern Skepticism.

16. Types of Essay
• Reflective Essays are serious and dignified. The writer examines his or her
experiences in life, presents how he or she has changed, developed or grown
from those experiences. These types of essays usually employ aphorisms (a
short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth. Oscar Wilde was
famous for such aphorisms as "Experience is the name everyone gives to their
mistakes".
• Biographical Essay is also known as character sketch. In a biographical essay
the writer talks about the life and personality of a person who actually lived. It has
the following characteristics: a real-life subject , a thesis statement that states a
specific idea about that person’s life and achievements , an account of one or
more major events in the subject’s life , and a description of the subject’s key
character traits.

17. • Descriptive Essays present a vivid description of things, people,
events, feelings, places, experiences, or situation. The best way to
create a vivid description, the writer should consider the five senses:
sight, sound,smell,touch, and taste.
FOOD: Acidic, creamy,burnt,crispy,crumbly, crunchy, greasy, juicy,ripe,
salty, sour, aromatic, spicy, blanched, bland, broiled, brewed,
caramelized, delicious, delectable, enticing, fibrous, flavorsome
PERSON: amiable, ambitious, amazing,artistic, attentive,
awesome,brilliant, cautious, clever, competent, crafty, imaginative,
meticulous, impulsive, naive, obnoxious, persevering, proficient
PLACE: impressive, amazing,frightening, strange, exciting, scenic,
EVENT: glorious, marvelous, engaging, magical, entertaining,elegant,
ceremonial, memorable
EXPERIENCE: amazed, delighted, embarrassed, fantastic, pleasant ,

18. • Nature Essay attempts to picture the natural creations of
God like seas, mountains, skies, and everything on it.
Nature: soothing, serene, magnificent, overwhelming,
spectacular, beautiful, peaceful, grotesque,
• Critical essay is a composition that offers an analysis,
interpretation, and/or evaluation of a text, book, films, or even
people’s behavior.
• Periodical Essay is generally published in periodicals and is
also called journalistic essay.
• Didactic Essay has a serious and instructive tone. It intends
to give moral lesson