Presented by
Rita Jackson
Library Media Specialist
What is a Genre?
• Genre is defined as a category, kind, or type
of literature that has a common set of
characteristics.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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•
•
•
•
Realism
Formula Fiction
Fantasy
Traditional
Literature
• Poetry
• Informational
Books
• Classics
Genres
FICTION
POETRY
FORMULA fICTION
CLASSICS
FANTASY
TRADITIONAL
LITERATURE
INFORMATIONAL
BOOKS
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
REALISM
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Definition – Fictional
narrative with
characters who are
involved in some kind
of action that holds our
interest; set in a
possible time and place
with action that seems
truthful; a story is
possible, although not
necessarily probable.
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Let’s name a few:
 The Great Gilly Hopkins
by Katherine Paterson
 Summer of the Swans
by Betsy Byars
 A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich
by Alice Childress
 A Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
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Realistic Stories –
Social issues or
realistic stories
containing real
personal problems
that teenagers
have to face, like
being a foster
child.
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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 Animal Realism –
This form may involve nonfiction or
fiction, but must remain true to
animal nature and not take on
human qualities; restrictions of
scientific accuracy is a factor, as
well as maintaining an objective
point of view. Influences of
nature, of geographic regions, and
of life cycles may be easily added.
This genre's stereotypical
portrayal of animals constrains
our conceptualization of the
human-animal bond.
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Let’s name a few
examples:
Call of the Wild and White Fang
London, J. (1903 & 1906.)
New York: Scholastic.
Lassie by E. Knight. (1940).
Philadelphia: Winston.
Old Yeller by F. Gipson (1956).
New York: Harper &
Row.
My Friend Flicka. O'Hara, M.
(1941). New York: Dell.
Let’s name a few examples:
 Elizabeth Speare’s The Witch of
Blackbird Pond
 Mildred Taylor’s Roll of
Thunder, Hear My Cry
 Bette Greene’s Summer of My
German Soldier
 Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars
 Louise Gouge’s Then Came
Faith
 Larry McMurtry ‘s Lonesome
Dove
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Historical Realism –
This subgenre reveals
time and place from the
past to determine the
setting with accurate
details about the past;
although, the fictional
portrayal of the
protagonist may be in a
suspenseful plot.
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Let’s na me a few examples:
Matt Christopher’s
The Hit-Away Kid
Leonard Kessler’s
Here Comes the
Strikeout.
Jerry Jenkins
Hometown Legend
Terry Egan’s The
Good Guys of
Baseball
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• Sports Stories - Well-developed
characters struggling with personal
issues in sports themes while
discovering the forces and choices
they must confront. Frequent
themes: team play, sportsmanship,
and feelings of acceptance.
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Let’s Recap the Subgenres
of Realism:
1. How many subgenres
are there?
2. Can you name them?
3. Look at the books to the
left and decide which
subgenre these belong
in.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Three subgenres include:
1
2
3
• MYSTERIES
• THRILLERS
• ROMANTIC STORIES
• BOOKS IN A SERIES
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition - Easily recognizable due to the
distinct writing pattern.
Subgenres:
1.
Mysteries and thrillers contain suspense from
unexplained events that are solved by reason.
2. Romantic stories may tend to oversimplify or
sentimentalize male-female relationships; however,
romance differs in that it is a freely imaginative fictitious
narrative in prose of which incidents are very remote
from ordinary life.
3. Series Books are stories published as part of a series held
together by a string central character or theme.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition – Literary fantasy creates a world for
characters and readers, asking to accept the
pretense that the other world could and does
exist within the framework of the book.
Subgenres –
1] Fantastic Stories
2] High Fantasy
3] Science Fiction
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Handed down from generation to generation by
word of mouth through ordinary storytellers,
anonymous minstrels, these stories evolved as a
“cement of society.”
Subgenres –
Fables
Myths
Folktales
Folk Epics
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Legends
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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• A few examples:
Definition – A brief
story containing
animal characters that
clearly points to a
moral or lesson,
perhaps with a
didactic or preachy
theme.
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Other Aesops Fables:
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Goose with the Golden Eggs
The Lion and the Mouse
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition –Relies on
the appearance of flat
characters {ex: fairy
godmother in
“Cinderellla”} with
progressive narration of
plots, fast-moving
action, and a climax
coming near the end
with “and they lived
happily ever after.”
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A few examples:
The Golden Bough
The Illiad
Variations in modern day:
Blair Witch Trials
Coyote Brings Fire
Phaeton, Son of Apollo
Icarus and Daedalus
Demeter and Persephone
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Definition – Stories which are
handed down by word of
mouth; originated in
religious beliefs, are based
upon supernatural forces,
often involve gods and
goddesses which stress
cultural ideals or attempt to
explain natural occurrences.
Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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• Definition – Believed to be based on reallife events with people who are larger than
life, these stories contain fewer
supernatural occurrences than myths;
however, legends are usually based upon
some historical event or person.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition – A
long narrative poem of
unknown authorship
about an outstanding or
royal character in a series
of adventures related to
the heroic central figure.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition - Artistic,
imaginative writing that
is not prose and is the
most musical of all
literary forms. Many
subgenres exist of poetry,
such as haiku, lyric
poetry, ballad, free verse,
nursery rhymes,
nonsense poetry, and
many more.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition – Nonfiction or biographies that
convey informational facts to the reader;
relates facts to concepts, and stimulates
curiosity, often written with high artistry.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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Definition – Stories that cross all genre
lines; can be historical fiction, regional
literature, or high fantasy. Well worn and
has attracted readers from generation to
generation.
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Created by Rita Jackson, LMS
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There you have the main genres of literature!
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