Genres of Literature

Genre Genre refers to the various categories used to classify works based on their characteristics

Genre Classifications Genres of Literature FictionNonfictionPoetryDramaMedia

Fiction Fiction is a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact; fiction = fake

Fiction All good fiction has a stirring plot, vivid setting, and compelling characters Plot: the sequence of events Conflicts: a struggle between opposing forces Character versus character Character versus society Character versus nature Character versus self Setting: When and where the events of a story take place The setting of story can impact the mood, or emotional quality of the story Characters: Characters are like flattened people with a unique personality that the writer must develop in order for the reader to believe and enjoy the story Protagonist: sympathetic character; the one readers want to overcome the conflict Antagonist: the person, thing or idea that protagonist fights against; the bad guy The point of view of the narrator, or the voice telling the story, will impact the reader’s perception of the events First person – “I” Second person – “You” Third person – “He,” “She,” “They” Most fiction stories have a theme, or underlying, reoccurring message about life

Genres of Fiction Novel Novella Short Story* Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction Historical Fiction Science Fiction Fantasy Mystery/ Suspense *Myth *Fable

Sub-genres of Fiction Novel: longer works that weave together many different events and characters Novella: shorter than a novel, but longer than a short story; features a limited number of characters Short Story: Can be read in one sitting; often focuses on a single event MYTH – concerns the origins of the world or how the world came into its present form Example: “Theseus and the Minotaur” FABLE – a short story that imparts a moral lesson Example: “The Tortoise and the Hare” Graphic Novel : a novel that uses many illustrations to help relay the events

Realistic Fiction Examples: Peak, The Outsiders Plot Events could happen May be based on actual events Setting Modern day time period Real place Characters True-to-life characters May be based on real people

Historical Fiction Examples: Huckleberry Finn Plot Events could have happened May be based on historical facts Setting Historical/Past time period Real place Characters Seem real Could be based on real people

Science Fiction Examples: Hunger Games, The Giver Plot Details about science or technology Raises the question, “What if…?” Setting Future Could be a real place or a completely imaginary place; space or another world Characters Could be made up (aliens) Could be based on real people

Fantasy Examples: Harry Potter, Twilight Plot Based on the writer’s imagination Setting Generally set in present day Most often in a made up place Characters May involve talking animals or objects Characters often have magical powers

Suspense Examples: Sherlock Holmes Plot Revolves around solving a puzzling event or crime May be based on a real event Setting Most often present day Real place Characters Seem real Could be based on real people Sleuth = crime solver

Fiction On the next slide is a short passage from the novel SLAM! by Walter Dean Myers. As we read, look for answers to the following questions: From whose point of view is the story told? What is the main conflict? Which other characters are introduced in the excerpt? What do we learn about the main character? How do we learn this information?

Fiction from “SLAM!” a novel by Walter Dean Myers Basketball is my thing. I can hoop. Case closed. I’m six four and I got the moves, the eye, and the heart. You can take my game to the bank and wait around for the interest. With me it’s not like playing a game, it’s like the only time I’m being for real. Bringing the ball down the court make me feel like a bird that just learned to fly. I see my guys moving down in front of me and everything feels and looks right. Patterns come up and a small buzz comes into my head that starts to build up and I know it won’t end until the ball swishes through the net. If somebody starts messing with my game it’s like they’re getting into my head. But if I’ve got the ball it’s okay, because I can take care of the situation. That’s the word and I know it the same way I know my tag, Slam. Yeah, that’s it. Slam. But without the ball, without the floorboards under my feet, without the mid-court line that takes me halfway home, you can get to me. So when Mr. Tate, the principal at me new school, started talking about me laying low for the season until I got my grades together I was like seriously turned out. The night after he talked to my moms I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t the hissing of the radiator or my little brother talking in his sleep in the other bed, it was the idea of not playing ball that was bouncing crazylike through my head.

Nonfiction Nonfiction is a type of writing in which the people, places and events are real. The author may include facts, but may include personal opinion, too. The main purposes of nonfiction are to: Argue, Persuade, Inform, Entertain Argumentative writing convinces because of the reasonableness of the claims and proofs offered Persuasive writing evokes emotions in the audience by employing various persuasive techniques

Narrative Nonfiction The true story about a person’s life Biography Written by someone other than the subject 3 rd person point of view A writer’s researched version of the events Autobiography A self-written account of someone’s life 1 st person point of view The writer’s own version of the events Memoir A self-written account of one significant moment in the subject’s life 1 st person point of view Told from a reflective viewpoint oAnswers: How did this event impact my life? Personal Narrative A self-written account of one, focused event in a person’s life

Model 1: Biography How can you tell that this excerpt is from a biography rather than an autobiography? from Steve Jobs : [Thinks Different] Biography by Ann Brashares At thirteen, Jobs’s interest in electronics was blossoming. One day he was building an electronic counting machine, and he needed some parts. He knew he could get them from Hewlett-Packard, a giant electronics company not far from his house. Jobs looked up the phone number of Bill Hewlett, the cofounder of Hewlett- Packard. Some kids would have been afraid to dial up one of the richest and most important men in California. Not Steve Jobs. He boldly chatted with Bill Hewlett for twenty minutes and Hewlett was so impressed and surprised by the young man that he not only gave him the parts he needed but offered him a summer job, too. That phone call taught an early lesson: If you ask for what you want, you often get it.

Model 2: Feature Article What characteristics make this article different from the biography about Steve Jobs? WIRELESS EVOLUTION: THANK YOU ENIAC WAY BACK WHEN, ONE COMPUTER COULD FILL AN ENTIRE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA. TODAY, YOU CAN WEAR ONE ON YOUR BELT LOOP. by David Santos Far from a Handheld The first computerized “counting machine: was called ENIAC – Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. Completed in 1946, covering three walls, standing eight feet high, and weighing 30 tons, ENIAC required 7,468 vacuum tubes and 6,000 manual switches just to get warmed up! ENIAC could execute thousands of calculations in seconds. However, reprogramming it took a team of people, three days, and lots of patience. ENIAC’s advanced technology, even with its massive shortcomings, was critical in spurring on the decades of computer evolution that followed.

Poetry a writer’s arrangement of words to achieve specific effect

Form and Sound add to the poems meaning Imagery: sensory details to help readers clearly picture what is being described Meaning The shape the poem takes Some types of poems like sonnets or haikus have a set form Poetry contains lines Lines are grouped in stanzas Forms Arrangement of language to create meaning using rhythm and/or rhyme Sound Prose is normal, everyday language. (Novels are divided into chapters.)

Poetry What specific characteristics tell you that “Teenagers” is a poem, rather than a work of fiction? Teenagers Poem by Pat Mora One day they disappear into their rooms. Doors and lips shut and we become strangers in our own home. I pace the hall, hear whispers a code I knew but can’t remember mouthed by mouths I taught to speak Years later the door opens. I see faces I once held, open as sunflowers in my hands. I see familiar skin now stretched on long bodies that move past me glowing almost like pearls.

Drama: Any work written to be performed on stage. Has all the elements of good fiction – plot, setting, characters, theme Lacks narration Dialogue between characters reveals details about the setting, plot and characters Stage directions help readers imagine the performance Divided into scenes Scenes are grouped into acts

Drama The following drama takes place in Brooklyn in Fourteen-year-old Eugene has just discovered that his oldest brother, Stanley, is leaving home. Stanley is ashamed because he gambled away his paycheck, which his family relies on to make ends meet. In this excerpt, Eugene offers Stanley “his life savings” for train fair. How does Eugene feel about Stanley? Cite details from the dialogue and the stage directions to support your answer. from Brighton Beach Memoirs Drama by Neil Simon Eugene: You’re leaving home? Stanley: When I’m gone, you tell Aunt Blanche what happened to my salary. Then she’ll know why Mom was so angry. Tell her please not to leave, because it was all my fault, not Mom’s. Will you do that? [He takes the coins out of the cigar box.] Eugene: I have eight cents’ worth of stamps, if you want that too. Stanley: Thanks. [He picks up a small medal.] What’s this? Eugene: The medal you won for the hundred-yard dash two years ago. Stanley: From the Police Athletic League. I didn’t know you still had this. Eugene: You gave it to me. You can have it back if you want it. Stanley: It’s not worth anything. Eugene: It is to me.

Media Media refers to forms of communication that reaches large numbers of people. Types of Media Feature Films News Media TV ShowsAdvertisingWeb Sites

Media Medium: the format in which ideas are conveyed. The plural of medium is media. Message: the main idea conveyed through a medium. Purpose: the reason for the creation of a media message. Target audience: the group for who a message is intended.

Media… Someone who is media literate can… Identify the purpose and target audience Recognize persuasive techniques Detect Bias Evaluate the massage