Literary Genres and Subgenres (Fiction, Nonfiction, Drama, and Poetry) - Video and Worksheet

Summary

The video script offers an insightful exploration into the realm of literary genres and their subgenres, providing a comprehensive understanding of the different categories of literature. It begins by defining literature as works by expert authors and then delves into the four main genres: drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, each accompanied by illustrative examples. The script further breaks down these genres into subgenres, such as comedy and tragedy for drama, and a variety of subgenres for fiction, including fantasy, folklore, historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, romance, science fiction, and thriller. Nonfiction subgenres discussed include biography, autobiography, narrative, periodicals, and reference materials, while poetry is categorized into lyric, narrative, and dramatic poetry. The video concludes with a practice exercise to reinforce the concepts learned, making it an engaging and informative resource for anyone interested in literature.

Takeaways

• 📚 Literature refers to books and writings, typically by expert authors.
• 🔍 A literary genre is a category of literature; there are four main genres: drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
• 🎭 Drama is a play for theater, conveyed through character dialogue, and can be read or watched.
• 📖 Fiction is a story that did not occur in real life, exemplified by the fictional world of vampires in 'Twilight'.
• 📚 Nonfiction consists of real and factual writing, such as textbooks on science or history.
• 📝 Poetry uses language and sound in special ways to express ideas, often with rhyme and rhythm.
• 🌟 Subgenres are smaller categories within the main genres, providing more specific classifications.
• 😄 Comedy and tragedy are subgenres of drama, with comedy aiming for humor and a happy ending, while tragedy ends in sadness.
• 🌈 Fantasy, folklore, historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, romance, science fiction, and thriller are subgenres of fiction, each with distinct characteristics.
• 🧐 Nonfiction subgenres include biography, autobiography, narrative, periodicals, and reference materials, all based on real-life events or information.
• 🏆 The most common subgenre of poetry is lyric, which expresses the speaker's thoughts and can include forms like elegy, ode, sonnet, and haiku.
• 📜 Narrative poetry tells a story, with epic poems like 'Beowulf' being a significant example, while dramatic poetry includes soliloquies, dialogues, and monologues spoken by characters in plays.

Q & A

What is the definition of literature?

Literature refers to books and other writings, typically created by expert authors.

What are the four main literary genres?

The four main literary genres are drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

How is drama defined in the context of literary genres?

Drama is defined as a play for theater, which is told through character dialogue or talking.

What is the difference between fiction and nonfiction?

Fiction is a story that did not actually happen in real life, while nonfiction is writing that is real, factual, and depicts events that actually occurred.

What are the characteristics of poetry?

Poetry is characterized by its use of language and sounds in special ways to express ideas, often including rhyme and rhythm.

What is a subgenre and how does it relate to literary genres?

A subgenre is a smaller group or category within a literary genre, providing more specific classification for different types of literature.

What are two subgenres of drama?

The two subgenres of drama are comedy, which is humorous with a happy ending, and tragedy, which is sad and ends unhappily.

Can you name an example of a fantasy subgenre in fiction?

An example of a fantasy subgenre is the Harry Potter series, which is set in a world full of magic and wizards.

What is the main difference between science fiction and fantasy?

Science fiction is set in a future world with advanced technology and some similarities to our current world, whereas fantasy takes place in a world where impossible things happen, such as animals talking.

What are the five subgenres of nonfiction mentioned in the script?

The five subgenres of nonfiction mentioned are biography, autobiography, narrative nonfiction, periodicals, and reference materials.

How is a thriller different from a mystery in terms of its purpose?

A thriller aims to thrill the audience by revealing secrets throughout the story, whereas the goal of a mystery is to solve a crime and identify the perpetrator.

What are the three types of dramatic poetry mentioned in the script?

The three types of dramatic poetry mentioned are soliloquy, dialogue, and monologue.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Literary Genres and Subgenres

This paragraph introduces the concept of literary genres and subgenres. Literature is defined as books and writings by expert authors. A literary genre is a category of literature, with four main genres: drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each genre is then explained with examples: drama as a play for theater, fiction as a non-real story (e.g., Twilight), nonfiction as real and factual writing (e.g., textbooks), and poetry as expressive language with rhythm and rhyme. Subgenres are introduced as smaller categories within genres, with examples for drama (comedy and tragedy) and a preview of subgenres for fiction.

05:01

🏰 Exploring Fiction Subgenres

The second paragraph delves into the subgenres of fiction, listing and explaining eight categories: fantasy, folklore, historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, romance, science fiction, and thriller. Each subgenre is accompanied by an example, such as the Harry Potter series for fantasy, folklore examples from different cultures, 'Gone with the Wind' for historical fiction, a mystery novel about a missing girl, 'Jane Eyre' for realistic fiction, 'A Perfect Gentleman' for romance, 'The Hunger Games' for science fiction, and 'The Girl With No Past' for thriller. The paragraph also distinguishes between science fiction and fantasy, and between thriller and mystery.

10:03

🧐 Nonfiction Subgenres: Biography to Reference Materials

This paragraph discusses the subgenres of nonfiction, which include biography, autobiography, narrative nonfiction, periodicals, and reference materials. A biography is a story about someone's life, like Albert Einstein's, written by an author. An autobiography is written by the person themselves, like Benjamin Franklin's. Narrative nonfiction tells real-life stories, such as the book about Machu Picchu explorers. Periodicals are regular publications like newspapers and journals, and reference materials are informational books like dictionaries and encyclopedias, which are presented in an alphabetical order.

15:05

📜 Poetry Subgenres: Lyric, Narrative, and Dramatic

The fourth paragraph focuses on the subgenres of poetry: lyric, narrative, and dramatic poetry. Lyric poetry, the most common type, expresses the speaker's thoughts and includes forms like elegy, ode, sonnet, and haiku. Narrative poetry tells a story, with epic poems like 'Beowulf' being a notable example. Dramatic poetry is words spoken by a character, often found in plays, and includes soliloquies, dialogues, and monologues. A famous example of a soliloquy is from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', where Juliet reflects on the name's insignificance.

20:09

📝 Genre and Subgenre Practice Exercise

The final paragraph presents a practice exercise for the viewer to identify the genre and subgenre of various examples. It provides a list of scenarios, such as a story about plants coming to life, a book about a famous soccer star's life, an encyclopedia entry on vitamin E, a humorous play, a long poem about a hero named Achilles, a weekly newspaper, a sad play, a poem about friendship, a futuristic story, and a story set during World War I with realistic but non-real characters. The paragraph encourages pausing the video to work on the exercise before revealing the answers, which are then provided and explained accordingly.

Keywords

💡Literature

Literature refers to books and other writings, typically created by expert authors. It is the broad subject matter that encompasses various forms of narrative, poetry, drama, and more. In the video, literature serves as the foundation for discussing different literary genres and subgenres, highlighting its importance in the study of written works.

💡Literary Genre

A literary genre is a category or type of literature. It helps classify writings based on their form, content, or style. The video explains that there are four main literary genres: drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, each with its own distinct characteristics and examples provided to illustrate these categories.

💡Drama

Drama is a literary genre that consists of plays intended for performance in a theater. It is characterized by character dialogue and can be read or watched. The video mentions that drama has subgenres like comedy and tragedy, with examples including Shakespeare's works, emphasizing the historical and cultural significance of drama in literature.

💡Fiction

Fiction is a literary genre that tells a story that did not actually happen in real life. It includes a wide range of subgenres like fantasy, folklore, and science fiction. The video uses 'Twilight' as an example of a fictional story, noting that its fantastical elements about vampires set it apart from real-world events.

💡Nonfiction

Nonfiction is a literary genre that presents real and factual information or events. It often includes textbooks, biographies, and autobiographies. The video provides examples such as a science textbook and Albert Einstein's biography to illustrate the educational and informative nature of nonfiction.

💡Poetry

Poetry is a literary genre that uses language and sound in special ways to express ideas. It often involves rhyme and rhythm. The video provides a simple example, 'The rose is red, The violet's blue. Sugar is sweet, and so are you,' to demonstrate the distinct way poetry is read and its focus on the aesthetic use of language.

💡Subgenre

A subgenre is a smaller group or category within a broader literary genre. The video discusses subgenres for each of the four main genres, such as comedy and tragedy in drama, and fantasy and science fiction in fiction, to show the diversity and specificity within the larger categories of literature.

💡Fantasy

Fantasy is a subgenre of fiction that takes place in a world that isn't real, often involving magic and supernatural elements. The video uses 'Harry Potter' as an example, noting its fictional world filled with magic and wizards, which differentiates it from other subgenres that are more grounded in reality.

💡Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is a subgenre of fiction that is set in the past and based on real historical events, but features fictional characters and narratives. The video cites 'Gone with the Wind' as an example, highlighting its setting during the American Civil War and the use of historical context to shape the story.

💡Science Fiction

Science fiction is a subgenre of fiction that is set in the future and often involves advanced technology and scientific concepts. The video mentions 'The Hunger Games' as an example, emphasizing its futuristic setting and the use of technology to create a dystopian society that is central to the plot.

💡Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry is a subgenre of poetry that expresses the thoughts and emotions of the speaker. It is the most common form of poetry and includes various forms like the sonnet and haiku. The video provides a haiku as an example, illustrating how lyric poetry uses a structured form to convey a single moment or emotion.

Highlights

Literature is defined as books and other writings, typically by expert authors.

A literary genre is a category of literature, with four main genres: drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Drama is a play for theater, told through character dialogue.

Fiction is a story that did not happen in real life, exemplified by the famous 'Twilight' series.

Nonfiction encompasses real and factual writing, such as textbooks.

Poetry uses language and sounds in special ways to express ideas, often with rhyme and rhythm.

Subgenres are smaller categories within literary genres.

Comedy and tragedy are subgenres of drama, with 'The Comedy of Errors' and 'Romeo and Juliet' as examples.

Fiction has subgenres like fantasy, folklore, historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, romance, science fiction, and thriller.

Fantasy in fiction is characterized by a setting in an unreal world, such as in the 'Harry Potter' series.

Folklore includes fairytales, fables, myths, legends, and tall tales, representing cultural stories.

Historical fiction is based on real history, like 'Gone with the Wind' set during the Civil War.

Mystery subgenre in fiction revolves around a crime to be solved, as in 'And Then She Was Gone'.

Realistic fiction presents a story that seems real but is fictional, such as 'Jane Eyre'.

Romance as a subgenre focuses on love stories, like 'A Perfect Gentleman'.

Science fiction is set in the future with advanced technology, exemplified by 'The Hunger Games'.

Thrillers create suspense and excitement, differentiating them from mysteries by focusing on secrets rather than crimes.

Nonfiction subgenres include biography, autobiography, narrative, periodicals, and reference materials.

Biography tells the story of a person's life, like the biography of Albert Einstein by Walter Isaacson.

Autobiography is a self-written account of the author's life, such as 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'.

Narrative nonfiction recounts real stories or events, like 'Turn Right at Machu Picchu'.

Periodicals are regularly published content like newspapers, magazines, and journals.

Reference materials, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, provide factual information in an alphabetical order.

Poetry subgenres include lyric, narrative, and dramatic poetry, each with distinct characteristics and purposes.

Lyric poetry expresses the speaker's thoughts, often using forms like elegies, odes, sonnets, and haikus.

Narrative poetry tells a story, with epic poems like 'Beowulf' being a notable example.

Dramatic poetry features words spoken by a character, often found in plays and including soliloquies, dialogues, and monologues.

Shakespeare's works, such as the soliloquy from 'Romeo and Juliet', are famous examples of dramatic poetry.

Transcripts

Today, we're going to talk about

literary genres and subgenres.

While you watch the video,

you can print out the worksheet

to takes notes and practice while you listen.

To understand literary genres, the first thing we need

is a definition of the word literature.

So what is literature?

Literature means books and other writing,

usually by expert authors.

Now let's talk about the definition of literary genre.

So what is a literary genre?

Well, a genre is a type or category,

and literary means of literature,

so a literary genre is a type or category of literature.

There are four main literary genres,

drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Let's talk about the definition and an example of each one.

Drama is a play for theater

told by character dialogue or talking.

Here's an example of a drama or play

being performed in a theater.

We can read drama and we can also watch it.

Fiction is a story

that did not actually happen in real life.

An example of a very famous story that's fiction

is Twilight.

We know Twilight is fiction

because it's about vampires, which aren't real.

Nonfiction is writing that is real and factual

or that actually happened.

An example of nonfiction is any textbook you read in school,

such as a science textbook or history textbook.

This example is information

that would be shown in a science textbook.

Poetry is writing using language and sounds

in special ways to express ideas.

Here's a very simple and maybe even silly example of poetry.

"The rose is red.

"The violet's blue.

"Sugar is sweet,

"and so are you."

These words are told in a way

that rhyme and have rhythm.

We'll learn more about those two words later,

but you can see when you hear these verses

that poetry is read differently

than fiction, nonfiction, or drama.

Now that we've learned what literary genres are,

let's be more specific.

These genres have subgenres.

A subgenre is a smaller group or category.

Literary genres and subgenres.

Now we'll name subgenres

of each of the four genres along with examples.

So drama has two subgenres.

One is comedy and the other is tragedy.

A comedy is a funny or humorous drama

with a happy ending.

One example of a very famous comedy

is The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare.

Now we are talking about comedy as a subgenre of drama,

but we can also see comedies

on television and in the movies.

A tragedy is a sad drama with a sad ending.

An example of a very famous tragedy

is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

Like comedy, tragedy also began

and still is performed as a drama or play.

But also like comedy, we can now watch tragedies

on television and in the movies.

Now let's talk about subgenres of fiction.

The genre of fiction has several subgenres.

Today we'll talk about eight of them,

fantasy, folklore,

historical fiction, mystery,

realistic fiction, romance,

science fiction, and thriller.

Fantasy is a story in a fantasy world

or a world that isn't real.

An example of fantasy are the Harry Potter books.

Harry Potter's world is full of magic and wizards.

That's why it's fantasy.

A second subgenre of fiction is folklore.

Folklore is old cultural stories.

These include fairytales, fables,

myths, legends, and tall tales.

We'll discuss each type of folklore in a separate video.

For now just know that each of these

is an example of types of folklore.

Every country and culture has its own folklore.

Here's an example of Russian folklore.

This book is a collection of stories

about the famous character, Baba Yaga.

And here is an example of Mexican folklore.

This is a story about La Llorona or the crying woman.

Another subgenre of fiction is historical fiction.

This is a fiction story based on real history.

One famous example of historical fiction

is the novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

This story takes place during the Civil War in US history.

So the Civil War actually happened,

but the characters in Gone with the Wind,

one of them is the famous character Scarlett O'Hara.

The characters were not real,

and what happened in the lives of the characters

also was not real,

although it was based on real history.

Mystery is another subgenre of fiction.

A mystery is a story about a crime.

Here's an example.

The novel And Then She Was Gone

is a story about a girl who disappears.

During this story,

detectives and people living in the town she was in

try to find where the girl is and what happened to her.

The fifth subgenre of fiction we'll talk about today

is realistic fiction.

This is a story that seems real but isn't real.

Realistic fiction is set in modern times,

and it's about characters who seem like real people.

A well-known example of realistic fiction

is the story Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

The main character, Jane Eyre,

has a difficult childhood as a young girl.

She grows up to work

in the home of a man named Mr. Rochester.

The picture on this book cover shows this home.

It looks real,

and Jane Eyre seems like a real person.

So does Mr. Rochester.

But they're not real.

That story is fiction.

It's realistic fiction because it seems true.

Another subgenre of fiction is romance or a love story.

The novel A Perfect Gentleman is an example of a romance.

Science fiction is a story in the future

with advanced technology.

One well-known example of science fiction

is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This story takes place about a 100 years into the future

and involves a character named Katniss who's 16 years old.

The government forces her and many other young people

to battle each other in an event called The Hunger Games,

which leaves only one survivor.

Sometimes science fiction can get confused with fantasy.

The main difference between science fiction and fantasy

is that science fiction is in a future world

that has some similarities with our current world.

It involves new inventions and technology.

Whereas fantasy happens in a world that is impossible,

a world where, for example, animals talk

or other impossible things happen.

And finally a thriller or suspense

is a story that makes readers nervous,

excited, or even scared as they read.

An example of a thriller

is The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft.

In this story, readers learn

secrets about a girl who appears in a town.

The secrets they learn make readers feel nervous,

excited, and sometimes scared as they read.

Sometimes a thriller or suspense

can be confused with a mystery,

but actually mysteries are different from thrillers.

The goal of a mystery

is to solve a crime and figure out who did the crime.

In a thriller, sometimes there was no crime,

or readers already know at the beginning who did the crime.

The goal of the thriller is to thrill the audience

by revealing secrets as the audience reads the book.

Now we'll learn about subgenres of the genre nonfiction.

Today, we'll learn about five subgenres of nonfiction,

including biography, autobiography,

narrative, periodicals, and reference materials.

One subgenre of nonfiction is biography

or a story of a person's life.

Here's an example of a well-known biography.

This book is about the life

of Albert Einstein, the famous scientist.

It's written by the biographer or author Walter Isaacson.

Another subgenre of nonfiction is autobiography

or a story the author writes about himself or herself.

An example of a famous autobiography

is the The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

It's a book that Benjamin Franklin wrote about his own life.

Another subgenre of nonfiction is narrative nonfiction

or a story or narrative that happened in real life.

An example of narrative nonfiction

is the book called Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams.

This book tells stories about explorers

who rediscovered the place called Machu Picchu.

The stories in this book are real.

They actually happened.

The characters are real, the places are real,

and the events are real.

That's what makes them narrative nonfiction

instead of fiction.

And finally periodicals

are magazines, newspapers,

and journals that are written regularly.

Regularly might mean once a week.

It might mean once a month

or sometimes even just once a year.

All of those things are called periodicals.

The most common type of periodical we see

is a daily newspaper.

The last subgenre of nonfiction we'll discuss today

is reference materials.

These are books with facts in alphabetical order.

Examples include a dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia.

Here's an example of a dictionary.

Dictionaries list words in alphabetical order

along with their meanings.

And finally the last subgenres we're going to discuss

are subgenres of the genre poetry.

Remember that poetry is writing using language and sounds

in special ways to express ideas.

The subgenres of poetry that we'll learn about today are

lyric, narrative, and dramatic poetry.

Now let's define the subgenres of poetry.

The most popular and common subgenre of poetry

is the lyric or a poem about the speaker's thoughts.

Most poems you see and hear are lyrics.

Examples of lyrics include elegy, ode, sonnet, and haiku.

Today, we won't talk specifically

about elegy, ode, sonnet, and haiku,

except to say each of them is a type of lyric.

And here is an example of a lyric.

This is a haiku written by a famous haiku writer.

"Fallen flower I see

"returning to its branch.

"Ah, a butterfly."

This lyric is a haiku written

about the speaker's thoughts of a flower.

Like all poetry, you see how

the lyric uses syllables and sounds

to express thoughts in a special way

that's different from how fiction,

nonfiction, and drama express thoughts.

Another subgenre of poetry is narrative

or a poem that tells a story.

There are a few types of narratives,

but one of them is an epic or a long poem about a hero.

One famous example of an epic is Beowulf.

Beowulf is an old poem

that is about 3,000 lines long.

That's a very long poem.

It tells the story about a hero named Beowulf.

Beowulf was a warrior

who saves the king from a monster named Grendel.

Usually epics include lots of battles and fights

that the hero wins in the end.

The last poetry subgenre we'll discuss today

is dramatic poetry or words spoken by a character.

We see dramatic poetry in another genre.

Can you guess which one?

We see dramatic poetry in the genre drama or plays.

Three examples of dramatic poetry

are soliloquy, dialogue, and monologue.

We won't discuss the specifics and differences

of soliloquy, dialogue, and monologue today,

except to say that each of them

is an example of dramatic poetry.

Now because William Shakespeare

was a very famous drama writer,

he's also responsible for many of the soliloquies,

dialogues, and monologues we study today.

Here's an example of a soliloquy by William Shakespeare

that we see in the play Romeo and Juliet.

In act two, scene two,

Juliet says the following words to herself.

Romeo is standing nearby but she doesn't realize it.

She says, "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.

"What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose by any other name

"would smell as sweet."

In these words, Juliet is talking about Romeo,

and what she's saying is

the name we call a person or an object doesn't matter.

What matters is how we feel about that person or object.

Because this quote is meaningful,

it's a very famous soliloquy

that we study when we study dramatic poetry.

Now let's practice what we've learned.

For each number, write the genre and subgenre described.

Number one, what is the genre and subgenre

of a story about plants that come to life?

Number two, a book about the life of a famous soccer star.

Number three, an encyclopedia entry

that describes vitamin E.

Number four, the humorous play The Taming of the Shrew.

Number five, a long poem about a hero named Achilles.

Number six, a weekly newspaper called Main Street Times.

Number seven, a sad play about the character Oedipus Rex.

Number eight, a poem about a girl's ideas about friendship.

Number nine, a story about life in the year 3023.

And number 10, a story about characters

who lived during World War I.

The characters are not real, but they seem real.

Pause the video while you work,

and we'll check the answers in a moment.

Are you ready to check the answers?

Let's check.

Number one, the genre is fiction

and the subgenre is fantasy.

We know it's fantasy

because in the real world plants can't come to life.

So the subgenre is fantasy,

and we know that fantasy is not real or factual.

It's fiction.

Number two, the genre is nonfiction

and the subgenre is biography.

We know this is a biography

because it's the story of a person's life,

and we know that biographies are real and factual.

That makes them nonfiction.

Number three, the genre is nonfiction,

and the subgenre is reference material.

We know that encyclopedias are a type of reference material,

and we also know that reference material

contains real and factual information.

Therefore the genre has to be nonfiction.

Number four, the genre is drama and the subgenre is comedy.

We know this is drama because it's a play,

and we know that the subgenre is comedy

because the play is humorous or funny.

Number five, the genre is poetry and the subgenre is epic.

We know this is poetry because it's a poem.

We know that it's an epic

because epics are long poems about heroes.

Number six, the genre is nonfiction

and the subgenre is periodical.

We know this is a periodical

because newspapers are a type of periodical,

and we know that this is nonfiction

because periodicals contain real and factual information,

so the genre has to be nonfiction.

Number seven, the genre is drama

and the subgenre is tragedy.

We know this is drama because it's a play,

and we know that the subgenre is tragedy

because this play is sad.

Number eight, the genre is poetry and the subgenre is lyric.

We know this is poetry because it's a poem,

and we know it's lyric poetry

because it's about a person's ideas about a topic.

That's what lyric poetry is.

Number nine, the genre is fiction

and the subgenre is science fiction.

We know this is science fiction

because it's set far into the future in the year 3023.

We know it's fiction because it can't be real.

It hasn't happened yet,

so the genre has to be fiction.

And number 10, the genre is fiction

and the subgenre is historical fiction.

We know this is historical fiction

because it took place in World War I,

which was a real period in history,

but the characters are not real even though they seem real.

Because the characters aren't real,

the story and the genre is fiction.

Literary genres, the end.

Our literary genre

and subgenre practice for today is complete.

I hope this video helped you understand

what a literary genre and subgenre are

and how to identify examples of each one.

Thank you for watching.