Genres Flashcards
Apocalypse
genre of prophetical writing, comes from Greek work “revelation”
Biography
account of someone’s life written by someone else
Burlesque
absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, esp in literary or dramatic work; a parody
Memoir
historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources
Mock heroic
(of a literary work or its style) imitating style of heroic literature to satirize an unheroic subject
Satire
making fun of human weakness or character flaw; often includes need or decision to correct the character on the receiving end; its purpose is to derive a reaction of contempt from the reader
Allegory
story, poem, picture that can be interpreted to reveal hidden meaning, typically moral or political
Ballad
song-like narrative poem, usually written in rhymed stanzas of 4 to 6 lines that feature repetition and strong meter; typically anonymous and often a love story
Closet drama
play not intended to be performed on stage, but read by a solitary reader or a small group aloud
Comedy
characters start at a sad beginning and progress to a happy ending
Dramatic poetry
poem that represents speech of one or more speakers in dramatic situation
Lyrical poem
not clearly narrative and where single speaker conveys thought, emotion, or sensory impression
Picaresque
episodic style of fiction dealing with adventures of rough and dishonest but appealing hero
Ode
long lyric poem on serious subject usually written in precise structure
Parable
simple story used to illustrate moral or spiritual lesson
