Genre

The absurd is a style of writing that is influenced by humanity’s isolation and a lack of logic in the universe. Read More

An adventure story tells the tale of a protagonist’s journey. They go on an adventure or quest: one that could be personal or geographical. Read More

Agitprop is political propaganda conveyed through art, music, literature, and films. Read More

Alba is a specific type of poetry. It’s a genre of lyric poetry from the Old Occitan period, also known as the Old Provençal. Read More

An antinovel is any novel that disregards traditional conventions of novel-writing. These books push the limits of what a novel can be. Read More

An apologue is a short story, sometimes a fable, that shares a moral lesson. For example, kindness is more important than power, or love triumphs over hate. Read More

An autobiography is an account of one’s life written by the subject. Read More

A beast fable, also known as an animal tale, is a short story or long poem that uses animal characters to relay a moral or narrative.  Read More

A bildungsroman is a literary genre that focuses on coming of age stories, following a character's progression towards adulthood. Read More

A biography is an account or description of a person's life, literary, fictional, historical, or popular in nature, written by a biographer. Read More

The campus novel, also known as the academic novel, is a book set around a university or college campus. Read More

Chivalric Romance is a genre of literature and culture popular during the Medieval and Early Modern periods in Europe from the 12th century. Read More

A chronicle is an account of events that occurs in the order that they happened in. The term is usually associated with historical events. Read More

Comedy is a humorous and entertaining genre of literature, film, and television. Read More

A coming-of-age novel is a book that tells the story of a character growing up and going through a series of important life-defining changes. Read More

Confessional Poetry is a style of poetry that is personal, often making use of a first-person narrator. It is a branch of Postmodernism that emerged in the US in(...) Read More

Drama is a mode of storytelling that uses dialogue and performance. It’s one of several important literary genres that authors engage with. Read More

A dystopia is the opposite of a utopia. It is an imagined place or community in which the majority of the people suffer.  Read More

An elegy, in literature, is a poem or song that is written in dedication to someone who has died. Read More

An epic is a long narrative poem that tells the story of heroic deeds, normally accomplished by more-than-human characters. Read More

An epistolary novel is a book made up of a series of documents, usually letters, diary entires, or newspaper clippings. Read More

A fable is a short and concise story that provides the reader with a moral lesson at the end. Read More

A fabliau is a traditional French tale penned by an anonymous writer between 1150 and 1400. These were usually written by jongleurs or medieval entertainers. Read More

Fairy tales are short stories that include fanciful and magical elements such as goblins, elves, fairies, and ogres. Read More

Fantasy is a literary genre that includes talking animals, magic, and other worlds. It includes plots that couldn’t take place in the real world. Read More

A farce is a genre of comedic literature. It uses exaggerated and outrageous situations to create humor and make the audience laugh. Read More

Folklore refers to stories that people tell. These include folk stores, fairy tales, urban legends, and more.  Read More

Gothic literature, poetry, and prose is that which deals with themes of death, the supernatural, sorrow, fear, loss, and more. Read More

Historical Fiction is a genre that fictionalizes real places, people, and events. It takes place in the past with accurate historical details in regard to customs,(...) Read More

A homily is a speech delivered by a religious person, usually a priest, in front of a group of people. Read More

Horror is a genre of fiction that plays with human fear, feelings of terror, dread, and repulsion to entertain the audience.  Read More

A lampoon is a type of satire in which a person or thing is attacked unjustly. They can be found in prose and verse. Read More

A legend is a genre of folklore that features stories about human events and actions. Read More

A lyric poem is a musically inclined, short verse that speaks on poignant and powerful emotions. Read More

Magical Realism is a genre of fiction writing that is interested in imbuing the modern realistic world with magical, fantastical elements. Read More

Medievalism is a set of beliefs that are inspired by the Middle Ages in Europe. It’s possible to find examples of Medievalism in art, music, literature, philosophy,(...) Read More

A melodrama is a work of literature or a theatrical performance that uses exaggerated events and characters. Read More

Metafiction refers to stories in which the characters, author, or narrator acknowledge the fact that they're parts of a fiction. Read More

A morality play is a genre of theatre popular in the medieval and Tudor period.  Read More

A myth is a genre of folklore that usually includes a hero and sometimes fanatical elements.  Read More

Mythopoeia is a genre of modern literature (and film) that refers to the creation of artificial mythology. Read More

Naturalism is a nineteenth-century literary and arts genre that focuses on the realistic depiction of life and all its struggles Read More

A novel is a long, written, fictional narrative that includes some amount of realism. Read More

A novella is a prose, fiction work that’s shorter than a novel and longer than a short story.  Read More

A nursery rhyme is a short rhyming song or poem that conveys a lesson or tells an amusing story. They are aimed at children. Read More

A paean expresses thanks, elation, or triumph through the form of a song or lyrical poem. Read More

A parody is created based on an already existing work in order to make fun of it. Read More

A pastiche is a literary creation that imitates a famous work by another author. Read More

Pastoral poetry is a genre or mode of poetry that refers to works that idealize country life and the landscape they take place in. Read More

Penny dreadfuls were a cheap, serialized form of literature popular in the nineteenth century.  Read More

A picaresque novel is a genre of prose fiction that depicts a roughish hero who experiences episodic adventures. Read More

A play is a form of writing for theatre. It is divided into acts and scenes.  Read More

Prose is a written and spoken language form that does not make use of a metrical pattern or rhyme scheme. Read More

Romance is a narrative genre of literature. It can feature elements that include mystery, adventure, bravery, and more. Read More

Science fiction is a literary genre that focuses on imaginative content based in science.  Read More

A short story is a piece of writing with a narrative that’s shorter than a novel. These stories usually only take one sitting to read. Read More

The Theatre of Cruelty is an experimental genre of theatre that’s concerned more with audience sense-experience than it is with dialogue and content. Read More

The thriller is a genre of fiction that is defined by its wide variety of sub-genres. They range from crime to science fiction. Read More

The word “tragedy” refers to a type of drama that explores serious, sometimes dark, and depressing subject matter. Read More

Tragedy of Blood theatre, also known as revenge tragedy or revenge drama, is a genre of theatre that’s primarily concerned with revenge and its consequences. Read More

A tragicomedy is a fictional genre that incorporates elements of tragedies and comedies. Read More

The word “utopia” refers to a perfect, or nearly perfect, place or ideal.  Read More

Vaudeville is a genre of entertainment or theatre that originated in France in the 19th century. It is based in lightly comical situations without deeper moral(...) Read More

A poem can be written down or spoken aloud. It is a collection of ideas and emotions in a creative way. Read More