Fiction

Fiction refers to literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact.

✨ Subgenres:

• Realistic Fiction
  Definition: Stories that could actually happen in real life.
  Notable Authors: Harper Lee, John Steinbeck
  Famous Works: To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee), Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck)
  
  

• Historical Fiction
  Definition: Set in the past with fictional characters or events.
  Notable Authors: Ken Follett, Markus Zusak
  Famous Works: The Book Thief (Zusak), Pillars of the Earth (Follett)
  
  

• Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)
  Definition: Explores futuristic science, technology, and often, space or time travel.
  Notable Authors: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury
  Famous Works: Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury), Foundation (Asimov)
  
  

• Fantasy
  Definition: Features magical elements, mythical creatures, or imagined worlds.
  Notable Authors: J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling
  Famous Works: The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), Harry Potter Series (Rowling)
  
  

• Mystery/Crime/Thriller
  Definition: Centers around solving a crime or unraveling a suspenseful situation.
  Notable Authors: Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  Famous Works: Murder on the Orient Express (Christie), Sherlock Holmes series (Doyle)
  
  

Nonfiction

Nonfiction presents factual information, real events, or actual people.

✨ Subgenres:

• Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
  Definition: Life stories of real people written by themselves or others.
  Notable Authors: Maya Angelou, Walter Isaacson
  Famous Works: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Angelou), Steve Jobs (Isaacson)
  
  

• Essay
  Definition: Short nonfiction piece reflecting the author’s outlook or opinion.
  Notable Authors: George Orwell, Joan Didion
  Famous Works: Shooting an Elephant (Orwell), The White Album (Didion)
  
  

• Informational Writing
  Definition: Intended to inform or explain.
  Examples: Textbooks, articles, manuals.
  
  

Drama

Drama is literature written to be performed by actors.

• Tragedy
  Definition: Depicts the downfall of the main character due to a flaw or fate.
  Notable Authors: William Shakespeare, Sophocles
  Famous Works: Hamlet (Shakespeare), Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)
  
  

• Comedy
  Definition: Humorous or satirical plays, often with happy endings.
  Notable Authors: Oscar Wilde, Molière
  Famous Works: The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde), Tartuffe (Molière)
  
  

Poetry

Poetry uses rhythm, imagery, and figurative language to evoke emotion and meaning.

✨ Types of Poetry:

• Lyric Poetry – Expresses personal feelings (e.g., sonnets by Shakespeare)
  
  

• Narrative Poetry – Tells a story (e.g., The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe)
  
  

• Epic Poetry – Long poems about heroic deeds (e.g., The Odyssey by Homer)
  
  

• Free Verse – Lacks consistent rhyme or meter (e.g., works by Walt Whitman)
  
  

✍️ Notable Poets:

• Emily Dickinson – "Because I could not stop for Death"
  
  

• Robert Frost – "The Road Not Taken"
  
  

• Langston Hughes – "Harlem"
  
  

• Sylvia Plath – "Lady Lazarus"
  
  

Folklore & Traditional Literature

These stories are passed down orally and are rooted in cultural tradition.

✨ Types:

• Myths – Stories explaining nature or human behavior, often involving gods. (Greek Myths)
  
  

• Legends – Based on real events/people but exaggerated over time. (King Arthur)
  
  

• Fables – Short tales with moral lessons, often using animals. (Aesop’s Fables)
  
  

• Fairy Tales – Magical stories usually for children. (Grimm’s Fairy Tales)
  
  

Graphic Novels and Comics

Stories told through sequential art, combining visual and written narratives.

• Notable Works:
  Maus by Art Spiegelman
  Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
  Watchmen by Alan Moore

Young Adult (YA)

Written for teen audiences but often enjoyed by all ages. Deals with identity, relationships, and personal growth.

• Notable Authors:
  John Green – The Fault in Our Stars
  Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games
  Angie Thomas – The Hate U Give
  
  

Satire

Uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize society or human nature.

• Notable Authors:
  Jonathan Swift – A Modest Proposal
  George Orwell – Animal Farm
  Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse-Five
  
  

Magical Realism

Blends realistic settings with magical elements treated as normal.

• Notable Authors:
  Gabriel García Márquez – One Hundred Years of Solitude
  Isabel Allende – The House of the Spirits
  
  

Dystopian

Depicts a flawed or oppressive future society.

• Notable Authors:
  George Orwell – 1984
  Aldous Huxley – Brave New World
  Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale

Southern Gothic

• Definition: A subgenre of Gothic fiction set in the American South; combines grotesque characters, decaying settings, and themes of social inequality, moral decay, and alienation.
  
  

• Key Elements: Mental illness, violence, flawed protagonists, supernatural hints, decayed Southern aristocracy, religious hypocrisy.
  
  

• Notable Authors:
  
  

  • Flannery O’Connor – A Good Man Is Hard to Find
    
    

  • William Faulkner – As I Lay Dying, Light in August
    
    

  • Carson McCullers – The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
    
    

  • Tennessee Williams – A Streetcar Named Desire