Literary Genres Flashcards
The word genre means \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ which talks about the writing style used in a text. s the category of a particular literary composition or a literary text.
“artistic category” or “style”,
is a writing wherein no metrical structure is followed and only
follows the natural flow of sentence and grammar
Prose Fiction
are legendary stories which usually focuses
on a particular hero or event, and explains
mysteries of nature, existence, or the
a universe with no basis in facts
Myths
stories or narrative that dwells somewhere
between myth and historical fact and which talks
about the origin of a particular figure or person
Legends
are stories that are often intended for children, that feature characters such as elves, goblins, wizards, and such, but not necessarily fairies
Fairy tales
presents a short story, with the use of symbolism
to demonstrate and typically teach the lesson at
the end
Parable
a fully developed story which is shorter than a novel and longer than a fable; typically takes just a single sitting for reading
Short Story
a type of prose fiction, which is shorter
than full-length novels and longer than
short stories. Ex: Animal Farm,
Metamorphosis
Novella
a long narrative work of fiction with some realism
and is often published as a single book or more
(The Notebook, Harry Potter Series, The Hunger
Games)
Novel
a broad genre of writing that encompasses all books that are not rooted
in a fictional narrative. It can be based on history and biography, it can be
instructional, and it can offer commentary and humor
Non-Fiction Prose
a self-written life story
Auto Biography
the life story of a person written by
another person
Biography
a short piece of writing describing a
person in terms of personality
traits and behavior patterns
Character Sketch
a short piece of writing, either formal or
informal, which expresses the
author’s argument about a particular subject
Essay
an account which an
individual write their thoughts
Journal
daily record, usually private, especially of
the writer’s own experiences,
observations, and feelings
Diary
a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm; often
employs rhyme and meter
Poetry
a poem in which the poet expresses his/her
feelings and emotions using the first-person point of view
Lyric Poetry
a single musical composition that has a melody and words called lyrics
Song
form of literature that can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone deceased
Elegy
derived from the italian word “sonetto” which means _____
little song or small lyric
It has 14 lines and is written in ________ meaning 10 syllables
iambic pentameter
a literary technique that is lyrical in nature, but not very lengthy. It has praises of people, natural scenes, and abstract ideas
Ode
ABBA
ABBA
CDECDE/CDCDCD
Petrarchan Sonnet
ABAB
CDCD
EFEF
GG
Shakesperean Sonnet
ABAB
BCBC
CDCD
EE
Spenserian Sonnet
a poem that tells a story, usually (but not always) in four -line stanzas called quatrains
Ballad
also known as chivalric romance, is a type of narrative poem which typically centers on courtly love, knights, and chivalric deeds
Metrical Romance
a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of a person with an unusual courage and unparalleled braver y
Epic
a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance, which
is an imitation of some action
Drama
genre in which a hero is brought down by his/her own flaws, usually by ordinary
human flaws – flaws like greed, over-ambition, or even an excess of love, honor, or
loyalty
Tragedy
a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, with a cheerful
ending over unpleasant circumstances
Comedy
a work with exaggerated, sensational events and characters; highly emotional and designed to encourage emotional responses in the audience
Melodrama
contains both tragedy and comedy because of the happy ending after a series of unfortunate events. Jokes are used to lighten the tone of the story
Tragicomedy
is a genre with the presence of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity.
Satirical
There are 2
important things about
satire:
- it makes fun of a person, idea, or institution
concerned with social usage and the question of whether or not characters meet certain social standards
Comedy of Manners
also known as dark Comedy comedy or dark humor that makes fun out of ordinarily taboo subjects
Black Comedy
a comedy in which everything is absurd and usually involves deception or miscommunication
Farce
