Today, Vista Higher Learning is breaking down the differences to give you a crash course on the five main genres of literature.

  • #1 Fiction. One of the most popular genres of literature, fiction, features imaginary characters and events. …
  • #2 Nonfiction. …
  • #3 Drama. …
  • #4 Poetry. …
  • #5 Folktale.

Similarly, What is a genre in a story?

A genre is a specific type of music, film, or writing. Your favorite literary genre might be science fiction, and your favorite film genre might be horror flicks about cheerleaders. … In film or literature, the genre is determined by the subject, setting or plot of the story.

Additionally, What are the 6 genres of writing? For example, as students learning how to write, you might encounter six common types of writing genres. They are ‘descriptive writing’, ‘expository writing’, ‘journals and letters’, ‘narrative writing’, ‘persuasive writing’ and ‘poetry writing.

What are the 4 types of genre?

In the landscape of literature, there are four major genres: poetry, drama, fiction, and creative nonfiction. While there are certain key recognizable features of each genre, these are not so much rules as they are tools, or conventions, the author uses.

How do you identify a genre?

An equation for remembering the genre is: Story (Action) + Plot + Character + Setting = Genre. This becomes an easy way to remember the elements of a genre. The above elements of story, plot, setting, and character equal a specific category of movie.

What is the type of genre?

The primary genres in literature are poetry, drama/play, essay, short story, and novel. … The term genre is used quite often to denote literary sub-classifications or specific types of literature such as comedy, tragedy, epic poetry, thriller, science fiction, romance, etc.

What are the different types of genre?


The 14 Main Literary Genres

  • Literary Fiction. Literary fiction novels are considered works with artistic value and literary merit. …
  • Mystery. Mystery novels, also called detective fiction, follow a detective solving a case from start to finish. …
  • Thriller. …
  • Horror. …
  • Historical. …
  • Romance. …
  • Western. …
  • Bildungsroman.

What are the different types of writings?

The four main types of writing styles are persuasive, narrative, expository, and descriptive.

What are the different genres of academic writing?

The four main types of academic writing are descriptive, analytical, persuasive and critical. Each of these types of writing has specific language features and purposes.

What are the 4 genres of creative writing?

Outlining the basics of composing and crafting each genre, Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief teaches you to write poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama through the use of short models in order to get you writing in all genres during a single course.

What are the 4 main genres of literature explain each briefly?

The four main literary genres are poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama, with each varying in style, structure, subject matter, and the use of figurative language. The genre raises certain expectations in what the reader anticipates will happen within that work.

How can you tell what genre a text is?

Definition: A text genre is a type of written or spoken discourse. Discussion: Texts are classified into genres on the basis of the intent of the communicator.

How do you categorize a book by genre?


6 Ways the Genres of Books are Determined

  1. Medium or Format. Fiction can be categorized by the format or medium it is presented in. …
  2. Literary classifications. …
  3. Graphic Content. …
  4. Reader Demographics. …
  5. Setting. …
  6. The Intellectual or Emotional Experience. …
  7. Cross Genres.

What are the 8 types of genre?


Terms in this set (8)

  • Poetry. Uses carefully chosen language as well as figures of speech. …
  • Fiction. Includes any writing that an author makes up from his or hers imagination.
  • Fantasy. …
  • Science Fiction. …
  • Mystery. …
  • Biography. …
  • Drama. …
  • Nonfiction.

What are the 3 main genre of literature?

Have you ever felt pretty overwhelmed by all the different types of literature out there? There is a lot, but luckily they all fit under just three major genres. The rest are all sub-genres, and even the subgenres have subgenres. The three major genres are Prose, Drama, and Poetry.

What are the 4 literary genres?

In the landscape of literature, there are four major genres: poetry, drama, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

What are the main genres of literature?

In the landscape of literature, there are four major genres: poetry, drama, fiction, and creative nonfiction. While there are certain key recognizable features of each genre, these are not so much rules as they are tools, or conventions, the author uses.

What are the 8 types of writing?


The Most Common Types of Writing Styles

  1. Narrative Writing. We Are Teachers defines narrative writing as “writing that is characterized by a main character in a setting who engages with a problem or event in a significant way. …
  2. Analytical Writing. …
  3. Expository Writing. …
  4. Persuasive Writing. …
  5. Argumentative Writing.

What are the 8 modes of writing?


Terms in this set (8)

  • Narration. Refers to telling a story or recounting a series of events.
  • Description. Emphasizes the senses by painting a picture of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels.
  • Process analysis. …
  • Exemplification. …
  • Compare and contrast. …
  • Classification and division. …
  • Definition. …
  • Cause and effect.

What is writing and types of writing?

There are four main types of writing: expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive. Expository – Writing in which author’s purpose is to inform or explain the subject to the reader. … Narrative – Writing in which the author tells a story. The story could be fact or fiction.

What are the 5 types of academic writing?


Types of Academic Writing

  • Essay.
  • Research.
  • Summary — Reaction Papers.
  • Journal.
  • Book Review.
  • Synthesis.
  • Review of the Literature.

What does genre mean in academic writing?

Each “genre” (type of document) involves specific features that set it apart from other genres. Therefore, writers must understand the format and writing style expected of them.

What are the 7 features of academic writing?

Many researchers name the following features as distinctive of academic writing: complexity, responsibility, formality, objectivity, explicitness, accuracy, hedging (or cautious language) [1], [2], [7], [9].