Genre: a distinctive category
of literary composition
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
Biography
Story of a real person’s 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
Autobiography
Story of a real person’s life
Form of nonfiction (true)
Bios means life
Graphe means to write
Author writes about his or her life
Informational Writing
A form of non-fiction writing
Shares information and facts (never opinions)
Purpose is to educate the readers
Persuasive Writing
A form of non-fiction writing
Shares information and facts
Purpose is to persuade the readers
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
Autobiography
Form of nonfiction (true)
Story of a real person’s 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 reader’s minds (Did
Mike Fink really wrestle a grizzly bear?)
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)