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Craig White's Literature Courses Critical Sources List of Genres see also Introduction to Genres |
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Any list of
genres is incomplete and chaotic, as new genres constantly evolve from old ones.
Literary or academic genres
ABC’s
allegory
anthology
aubade
autobiography
biography
books of quotations
carol
catechism
chapbook
chronicle
children’s literature
comedy, high comedy, low comedy
comedy of manners
cyberpunk science fiction
detective story / novel
diary
drama
dramatic monologue
elegy
epic, art epic, folk epic
epistolary novel (novel told in letters)
erotic literature, “erotica” (careful with examples)
essay
fable
fairy tale(s)
fantasy
farce
film noir
giftbooks
the gothic, gothic novel
haiku
historical novel, historical romance
historylegend
letters, epistles
limerick
memoirs or memoir
military history
mystery story / novel
myth
narrative poem
novelette
one-act play
opera
paean, odesentimental comedy
parody
pastoral—pastoral drama, pastoral elegy, pastoral romance
picaresque novel
primers
problem novel, propaganda novel
proverbs, aphorisms, wise sayings, epigrams, epitaphs
psychological novel, stream of consciousness novel
romance, medieval romance
saga
satire, parody, burlesque, farce
sentimental novel
sermon
short story
sketch
song, chanson
sonnet
steampunk science fiction
textbooks
tragicomedy
trilogy
villanelle
Popular culture genres
adventure novel / movie
apocalyptic fiction (Left Behind series)
column (i. e., newspaper column, e. g., Leon Hale, Molly Ivins)
comic books
comic sketch (Saturday Night Live, Living Color, etc.)
commercial(s)
courtroom drama
dark fantasy
dinner theaters, bedroom farce
eulogy
fantasy
Harlequin or Silhouette Romance, Fabio novels, etc.
hymn
horror
hospital drama
infomercial(s)
instant books or "newsstand quickies" (pulp nonfiction or journalistic books published soon after a disaster)
makeover shows (faces, bodies, houses)
monologues (a.k.a. "stand-up" comedy)
monster movies
music video
musicals
musical comedies
police drama
pornography (careful with examples!)
professional wrestling shows, “Wrestle-Mania,” etc.'
reality shows
religious epics (movies or books)
religious fiction
sandal-and-toga movies
self-help
slapstick
slasher movies
soap opera or daytime drama
“spectacles”
sporting event(s)
spy novels / spy movies / James Bond novels / movies
supernatural fiction
sword-and-bosom movies, “cloak & sword romance” (Sp. Comediade capta y espada)
talent shows (American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc.)
talk radio
talk show(s)
Tarzan novels / movies
techno-fantasy
techno-thrillers (Tom Clancy, Hunt for Red October, etc.)
telenovela
thrillers
trailers (i.e. movie previews)
“treasuries” or collections
variety shows
web page(s)
western novel / movie
emerging genres
graphic novels (long comic
books)
computer games, video games
transmedia
speech genres
political speech
valediction
baccalaureate (graduation speech)
prayers
benedictions
eulogies
farewells
