FORMS OF

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 GENRES
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 MEANING OF GENRE
C H W O R D ,
N O LD FR E N
E S F R O M A
EN RE " C O M K N OW I T.
"G D E R " AS W E
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 LITERARY GENRE
A LITERARY GENRE THEREFORE MEANS A
CATEGORY OF LITERARY COMPOSITION OR
ENDEAVOR: A CATEGORY MEANT TO DESCRIBE
THE WRITING STYLE, TECHNIQUE,
TONE, LENGTH, AND CONTENT OF
CERTAIN LITERARY FORMS.
 ALL CATEGORIES OF BOOKS OR STORIES
CAN BE CALLED EITHER FICTION OR NON-
FICTION.
FICTION
FICTION NON-FICTION
NON-FICTION
• •AAMADE
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2. FAMILY AND FICT13. METAFICTION
I O N G E N R
RELATIONSHIPS 14. MYTH ANDELEGEND
S
3. DIARIES 15. OCCUPATIONAL
4. COMIC / HUMOR FICTION
5. PARANORMAL/HORROR 16. POLITICAL
6. EROTIC FICTION 17. PULP FICTION
7. FABLES 18. RELIGIOUS FICTION
8. FOLK TALES AND FAIRY 19. SHORT STORY
TALES 20. WOMEN'S FICTION
9. HISTORICAL FICTION 21. ACTION
10. LGBT 22. ADVENTURE
11. LITERARY FICTION 23.THRILLER
 G E N R ES
21.BIOGRAPHY& NON -FI C T I ON

AUTOBIOGRAP
HY 25.POETRY
26.HISTORY
22.MEMOIR
27.NARRATIV
23.CREATIVE E NON-
NON-FICTION FICTION
24.ESSAY 28.RELIGIOUS
 CONTEMPORARY FICTION
• THIS IS THE KIND OF FICTION THAT STANDS OUT, GETS
MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDED.
•  USUALLY SET IN THE RECOGNISABLE PRESENT, CONTEMPORARY
FICTION IS REALISTIC WITH CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERS,
EVENTS AND DIALOGUE.
• EXAMPLES THAT FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY ARE:
• THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME BY MARK
HADDON
• THE LIFE OF PI BY YANN MARTEL, AND
• TITLES BY NEW ZEALAND AUTHORS SUCH AS KATE DE GOLDI, FLEUR
FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIPS
• BOOKS THAT REFLECT CHILDREN AND TEENS (AND EVEN
ADULTS) HAVING TO UNDERGO SOME KIND OF INNER CONFLICT
OR INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE —
INCLUDING 'COMING OF AGE' STORIES. THIS MAY INVOLVE
RELATIONSHIPS, BULLYING, DECISION MAKING OR
IDENTITY CRISIS.
• EXAMPLES THAT RESONATE WITH THIS GENRE INCLUDE:
• BRUISER BY NEIL SHULSTERMAN
• WONDER BY R.J. PALACIO
• I AM NOT ESTHER BY FLEUR BEALE, A NEW ZEALAND EXAMPLE
 DIARIES
• NARRATED IN DIARY FORMAT, THESE FICTION OR NON-
FICTION TALES ARE PERSONAL RECOUNTS
USUALLY PLAYED OUT DAY-BY- DAY. THE
NARRATION COULD BE BASED ON AN ADVENTURE, AN
HISTORICAL EVENT OR A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
• EXAMPLES ARE:
• THE MY STORY  SERIES WRITTEN BY VARIOUS
AUTHORS, WHICH BRINGS NEW ZEALAND’S PAST
ALIVE
• DIARY OF A WIMPY KID  BY JEFF KINNEY, WHICH IS
 COMIC / HUMOR
(BLACK COMEDY, PARODY, SATIRE)
FICTION FULL OF FUN, FANCY, AND
EXCITEMENT, MEANT TO ENTERTAIN; BUT CAN
BE CONTAINED IN ALL GENRES
STORIES THAT CAUSE YOU TO SMILE OR LAUGH
OUT LOUD AT THE QUIRKINESS OF THEIR
CHARACTERS OR STORIES. GOOD EXAMPLES
INCLUDE:
• THE BRILLIANT JUST SERIES BY ANDY GRIFFITHS
 PARANORMAL
NOVELS DEALING WITH THE PARANORMAL OR SUPERNATURAL
INCLUDE THEMES SUCH AS GOOD AND EVIL,
RELATIONSHIPS AND CONFLICT ALONG WITH CREATURES
SUCH AS WEREWOLVES, VAMPIRES OR GHOSTS. IT’S THE
TYPE OF FICTION WHERE OCCURRENCES CANNOT BE LOGICALLY
EXPLAINED, SUCH AS TELEKINESIS OR EXTRASENSORY
PERCEPTION. THESE NOVELS SPAN OTHER GENRES SUCH AS
FANTASY, MYSTERY, HORROR AND ROMANCE.
• EXAMPLES ARE:
• THE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES SERIES BY KAMI GARCIA AND MARGARET
STOHL
• THE WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER
 EROTIC FICTION
• THE EROTIC FICTION BOOK GENRE IS MADE UP OF BOOKS THAT
PRESENT THE SEXUAL ASPECTS OF LOVE FRONT AND CENTER. THE
BOOKS IN THE EROTIC GENRE HAVE SUBTLE SEXUAL INNUENDO
UP TO EXPLICIT DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ACTS. THEY ALSO
CONTAIN TABOO ELEMENTS OF SEXUAL FANTASY,
HOMOSEXUALITY, SADO-MASOCHISM, AND FETISHES. THE
STORIES ARE DESIGNED TO AROUSE THE READER BY FEEDING AND
EXPANDING THEIR PERSONAL SEXUAL FANTASIES.
• SOMETIMES THE EROTIC GENRE AND ROMANCE GENRE CAN BE
CROSSED OVER AND CONFUSED, AS SOME ROMANCE HAS STRONG
SEXUAL CONTENT AND SCENES. ALSO, THE EROTIC GENRE OFTEN
CONTAINS LOVE AND A HAPPY ENDING, MAKING IT SEEM LIKE
TABOO ROMANCE. TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE, ONE SHOULD KEEP
 FABLES
• A FABLE IS A SHORT PIECE OF FICTION THAT
FEATURES ANIMALS
IN THE ROLE OF THE PROTAGONIST AND USUALLY
INCLUDES OR ILLUSTRATES A MORAL.
• A FABLE CAN ALSO HAVE OTHER
INANIMATE OBJECTS,
MYTHICAL CREATURES, OR FORCES OF NATURE AS MAIN
CHARACTERS.
• THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF A FABLE IS
THE ANTHROPOMORPHISM OR PERSONIFICATION INVOLV
ED THAT LEADS TO A MORAL LESSON BEING TAUGHT. AT
TIMES, THIS MORAL LESSON IS SUMMED UP AT THE END OF THE FABLE IN A
SHORT MAXIM.
 MANY FILMS MADE FOR CHILDREN ARE
MODERN INTERPRETATIONS OF THE
FABLE GENRE, ESPECIALLY FILMS MADE BY
PIXAR AND DREAMWORKS. HERE ARE SOME
FABLE EXAMPLES IN CHILDREN’S FILMS:
•BAMBI •FINDING
•RATATOUIL NEMO
LE •SHREK
•CARS •MADAGAS
•WALL-E CAR
•TOY STORY •KUNG FU
 FOLK TALES AND FAIRY TALES
A FOLK TALE IS A STORY WITH ORIGINS ROOTED IN WHAT IS COINED AS
ORAL TRADITION. THIS MEANS THAT THE STORY HAS BEEN ORALLY
PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER. SINCE FOLK TALES RARELY
HAVE WRITTEN ACCOUNTS, THE STORY CAN HAVE ADDED OR ELIMINATED
ELEMENTS AS THEY ARE RETOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A PARTICULAR
TELLER. TODAY, FOLK TALES HAVE ALREADY TAKEN A WRITTEN FORM.
A FAIRYTALE, ON THE OTHER HAND, ALSO TAKES ITS ROOTS FROM ORAL
TRADITION, BUT INVOLVE MAGICAL CREATURES SUCH AS DRAGONS,
OGRES, WITCHES, AND UNICORNS.
WHILE A FOLK TALE DERIVES ITS STORY FROM REAL-LIFE
PHENOMENA, FAIRYTALES ARE MADE UP. SIMPLY PUT, A FOLK TALE
IS A STORY WITH A BASIS IN EVENTS THAT ARE TRUE-TO-LIFE,
WHILE FAIRYTALES ARE WORKS OF FICTION.
BELOW ARE THE MOST PREVALENT KINDS OF FOLKTALES (NOTE
THAT SOME FOLKTALES HAVE CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO OR
MORE FOLKTALE CATEGORIES):

1.   ANIMAL TALES ARE PERHAPS THE OLDEST OF ALL

FOLKTALES. THEY ARE PART MYTH, PART FABLE,
AND PART FAIRY TALES. THEY PLAY SIGNIFICANT
ROLES IN EARLY STORIES AND LEGENDS. TALKING
ANIMALS APPEAR IN MANY EUROPEAN FOLKTALES.
EXAMPLES: “THE THREE LITTLE PIGS” AND “LITTLE
RED RIDING HOOD”.
• 2.   WONDER TALES (ALSO KNOWN AS FAIRY TALES) ARE
THE BEST KNOWN OF THE TRADITIONAL FOLKTALES. THEY ARE
STORIES OF SUPERNATURAL WONDERS TYPICALLY DEPICTING
THE CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. MOST CONCLUDE
WITH THE TRIUMPH OF VIRTUE AND A HAPPY MARRIAGE.
• IN FAIRY TALES, THE SUPERNATURAL WONDER IS DERIVED
FROM EITHER A MAGICAL PERSON (A FAIRY GODMOTHER, A
WICKED WITCH), A MAGICAL OBJECT (A WONDROUS
BEANSTALK, A TALKING MIRROR, A MAGIC LAMP) OR AN
ENCHANTMENT (A MIRACULOUS SLEEP THAT LASTS UNTIL
LOVE’S FIRST KISS). FOR EXAMPLE, “CINDERELLA”, “SNOW
WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS”, “SLEEPING BEAUTY” AND
3.   CUMULATIVE TALES ARE THE ONES IN
WHICH SUCCESSIVE ADDITIONS ARE
MADE TO A REPETITIVE PLOT LINE. THEY
ARE GENERALLY VERY SIMPLE IN PLOT
AND BRIEF, FOR WITH EACH ADDITION,
THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE IS REPEATED.
EXAMPLES:“THE GINGERBREAD MAN”
AND “GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE
4.  POURQUOI TALES (“POURQUOI” MEANS “WHY” IN
FRENCH) SEEKS TO EXPLAIN NATURAL PHENOMENA.
THEY PROVIDE PRIMITIVE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE
MANY “WHY” QUESTIONS EARLY HUMANS ASKED. THEY
ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND ESPECIALLY
POPULAR IN AFRICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN
FOLKLORE. THERE IS A STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN
POURQUOI TALES AND MYTHS; HOWEVER, THE SETTING
IN POURQUOI TALES IS EARTHLY AND DEITIES PLAY NO
ROLE IN POURQUOI TALES AS THEY DO IN MYTHS.
EXAMPLES: “WHY THE SUN AND THE MOON LIVE IN THE
SKY” (FROM SOUTHERN NIGERIA), “WHERE STORIES
COME FROM” (FROM ZULU), AND “WHY MOSQUITOES
5.   NOODLEHEAD TALES ARE LIGHT-HEARTED
TALES ABOUT SILLY PEOPLE DOING SILLY
THINGS.
THESE TALES ARE POPULAR BECAUSE OF
THEIR PURE NONSENSE AND JOCULARITY, AND
SOMETIMES WE ENJOY THE TRIUMPH OF THE
GOOD-HEARTED SIMPLETON OVER THE
CRAFTIER EVIL CHARACTERS OF THE STORY.
EXAMPLES: “HANS IN LUCK” BY THE GRIMM
BROTHERS AND “THE THREE WISHES” BY
 HISTORICAL FICTION
THESE NOVELS HAVE THE STORY AND CHARACTERS PITCHED
AGAINST A SIGNIFICANT BACKDROP OF TIME OR HISTORY OF A
PLACE OR COUNTRY. WAR, SOCIAL HISTORY AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY
OFTEN FEATURE, AS IN:
• THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 BY LAUREN TARSHISSET
• IN THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN BY VADDEY RATNER SET
AGAINST THE CAMBODIAN KILLING FIELDS.
OTHER NOTABLE EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
• CODE NAME VERITY BY ELIZABETH WEIN, WHICH IS SET DURING WWII
AND WAS NAMED THE MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR BOOK IN 2013
• ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE BY ANTHONY DOERR, ABOUT A GERMAN
ORPHAN AND A BLIND FRENCH GIRL DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION OF
FRANCE. THIS BOOK IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF FICTION
 LGBT GENRE
THIS GENRE OF LITERATURE DEALS WITH THE
STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY, ACCEPTANCE AND
RELATIONSHIPS OF PROTAGONISTS WHO ARE
GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL OR TRANSGENDER.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
• HOW BEAUTIFUL THE ORDINARY: TWELVE STORIES OF
IDENTITY EDITED BY MICHAEL CART, A SHORT STORY
COLLECTION
• THE VAST FIELDS OF ORDINARY BY NICK BURD.
 LITERARY FICTION
LITERARY FICTION EXPLORES SUBTLETIES
AND COMPLEXITIES OF LANGUAGE, THEME
AND SYMBOLISM AND TENDS TO BE
CHARACTER-DRIVEN RATHER THAN PLOT
DRIVEN.
EXAMPLES OF LITERARY FICTION INCLUDE THE
MODERNIST AUTHOR VIRGINIA WOOLF’S BOOK TO
THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE NOVELS OF NOBEL-
 DYSTOPIAN
DYSTOPIAN FICTION IS SET IN NEW OR ALTERNATIVE WORLDS, OR
FUTURISTIC SOCIETIES AND IS CHARACTERISED BY DEGRADATION
IN VALUES, SOCIAL HIERARCHY, TERROR AND OPPRESSION. THESE
TITLES OFTEN INCLUDE ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE FICTION, CONFLICT AND
ROMANCE.
WELL-KNOWN EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
• THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY BY SUZANNE COLLINS
• THE MAZE RUNNER SERIES BY JAMES DASHNER
• THE DIVERGENT TRILOGY BY VERONIKA ROTH
• BLOOD OF THE LAMB TRILOGY BY MANDY HAGAR, A NEW ZEALAND
EXAMPLE
• 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL'S
 METAFICTION
META MEANS ABOUT, SO METAFICTION IS
FICTION THAT IS ABOUT FICTION. IN OTHER
WORDS, FICTION THAT THINKS, AND EVEN TALKS,
ABOUT ITSELF. IT'S KIND OF SELF-CONSCIOUS.
SO IF THE STORY YOU'RE READING IS ABOUT, WELL,
WRITING STORIES, THAT'S METAFICTION. IF THE BOOK
YOU'RE READING ACKNOWLEDGES ITSELF AS A BOOK,
THAT'S METAFICTION. IF THE AUTHOR JUMPS INTO THE
ACTION AND SAYS, "LOOK AT ME! I'M THE AUTHOR!
WATCH ME WRITE!" THAT'S METAFICTION.
PATRICIA WAUGH PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE DEFINITION BY
DESCRIBING METAFICTION AS "FICTIONAL WRITING WHICH SELF-
CONSCIOUSLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY DRAWS ATTENTION TO ITS
STATUS AS AN ARTIFACT IN ORDER TO POSE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY". 
METAFICTIONAL WORKS, SHE SUGGESTS, ARE THOSE WHICH
"EXPLORE A THEORY OF WRITING FICTION THROUGH THE
PRACTICE OF WRITING FICTION". 
EXAMPLE:
THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK . IN THIS BOOK, THE CHARACTER
OF GROVER READS THE TITLE OF THE BOOK HIMSELF AND BECOMES
TERRIFIED TO MEET THE MONSTER THAT WILL BE AT THE END OF THE
BOOK. AS YOU TURN THE PAGES, GROVER BECOMES EVEN MORE SCARED,
PLEADING FOR THE READER TO STOP TURNING THE PAGES AND EVEN
TRYING TO BUILD A BARRIER THAT KEEPS THE PAGES NAILED TOGETHER.
ONCE THE READER GETS TO THE END OF THE BOOK, GROVER FIGURES
 MYTH AND LEGEND
A LEGEND IS PRESUMED TO HAVE SOME BASIS IN HISTORICAL
FACT AND TENDS TO MENTION REAL PEOPLE OR EVENTS.
HISTORICAL FACT MORPHS INTO A LEGEND WHEN THE TRUTH HAS
BEEN EXAGGERATED TO THE POINT THAT REAL PEOPLE OR EVENTS
HAVE TAKEN ON A ROMANTICIZED, "LARGER THAN LIFE" QUALITY.
IN CONTRAST, A MYTH IS A TYPE OF SYMBOLIC STORYTELLING
THAT WAS NEVER BASED ON FACT. THROUGHOUT TIME, MYTHS
HAVE SOUGHT TO EXPLAIN DIFFICULT CONCEPTS (E.G., THE ORIGIN
OF THE UNIVERSE) WITH THE HELP OF COMMON STORY DEVICES,
SUCH AS PERSONIFICATION AND ALLEGORIES.
 EXAMPLES OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS
• IT IS A GREEK MYTH THAT PROMETHEUS STOLE FIRE FROM ZEUS,
THE CHIEF GOD, AND GAVE IT TO HUMANS SO THAT THEY COULD
KEEP THEMSELVES WARM. TO PUNISH HIM, ZEUS CHAINED
PROMETHEUS TO A ROCK WHERE HIS LIVER WAS EATEN BY AN
EAGLE EVERY DAY BUT GREW AGAIN EVERY NIGHT. THERE IS
NOTHING TO PROVE THIS OCCURRED, AND WE DO NOT EVEN
HAVE A TIME FRAME TO WORK WITH, SO IT IS CONSIDERED A
MYTH.
• A COMMON CONTEMPORARY MYTH IS THAT A CAT CROSSING
THE ROAD IN FRONT OF YOU BRINGS BAD LUCK. THIS IS A MYTH,
AS IT ‘S NOT BASED ON ANY SOLID EVIDENCE.
• STORIES OF HEROES LIKE ROBIN HOOD AND KING ARTHUR ARE
RELATED TO A CERTIAN PERIOD AND HENCE THEY ARE
OCCUPATIONAL FICTION
(HOLLYWOOD, LEGAL,
MEDICAL, MUSICAL,
SPORTS)
 OCCUPATIONAL FICTION: HOLLYWOOD

A Hollywood novel is a novel that takes the Southern California motion

picture industry as its setting and often its subject.

Examples of Hollywood novels include The Day of the Locust by Nathanael

West, What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg The Last Tycoon by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, After Many A Summer Dies the Swan by Aldous Huxley, Inside Daisy
Clover by Gavin Lambert, The Deer Park by Norman Mailer, I Should Have Stayed
Home by Horace McCoy, Michael Tolkin's The Player and The Return of the
Player, and Joan Didion's Play It As It Lays. Novels set in Los Angeles but not
primarily about the movie business and its effect on movie people and the public
are not properly called Hollywood novels.
 OCCUPATIONAL FICTION: LAB LIT
UNLIKE SCIENCE FICTION, LAB LIT IS GENERALLY SET IN SOME SEMBLANCE
OF THE REAL WORLD, RATHER THAN A SPECULATIVE OR FUTURE ONE, AND
IT DEALS WITH ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OR PLAUSIBLE
HYPOTHESES. IN OTHER WORDS, LAB LIT NOVELS ARE MAINSTREAM OR
LITERARY STORIES ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF SCIENCE AS A PROFESSION.
THEY MAY OR MAY NOT CENTER EXCLUSIVELY ON THE SCIENCE OR THE
WORKPLACES OF SCIENTISTS, BUT ALL TEND TO FEATURE SCIENTISTS AS
CENTRAL CHARACTERS. ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK
TIMES,
EXAMPLES OF LAB LIT INCLUDE FLIGHT BEHAVIOR BY BARBARA
KINGSOLVER, CANTOR'S DILEMMA BY CARL DJERASSI, INTUITION BY
ALLEGRA GOODMAN AND MENDEL'S DWARF BY SIMON MAWER. NOVELS
 OCCUPATIONAL FICTION: LEGAL THRILLER
• THE LEGAL THRILLER IS A SUBGENRE OF THRILLER AND CRIME
FICTION IN WHICH THE MAJOR CHARACTERS ARE LAWYERS AND
THEIR EMPLOYEES. THE SYSTEM OF JUSTICE ITSELF IS ALWAYS A
MAJOR PART OF THESE WORKS, AT TIMES ALMOST FUNCTIONING AS
ONE OF THE CHARACTERS. IN THIS WAY, THE LEGAL SYSTEM PROVIDES
THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE LEGAL THRILLER MUCH AS THE SYSTEM OF
MODERN POLICE WORK DOES FOR THE POLICE PROCEDURAL.

• USUALLY, CRUSADING LAWYERS BECOME INVOLVED IN PROVING

THEIR CASES (USUALLY THEIR CLIENT'S INNOCENCE OF THE
CRIME OF WHICH HE IS ACCUSED, OR THE CULPABILITY OF A
CORRUPT CORPORATION WHICH HAS COVERED UP ITS
MALFEASANCE UNTIL THIS POINT) TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT
 OCCUPATIONAL FICTION: MEDICAL FICTION

MEDICAL FICTION IS FICTION WHOSE

EVENTS CENTER UPON A HOSPITAL, AN
AMBULANCE STAFF, OR ANY MEDICAL
ENVIRONMENT. IT IS HIGHLY PREVALENT
ON TELEVISION, ESPECIALLY
AS MEDICAL DRAMAS, AS WELL AS IN
 OCCUPATIONAL FICTION: MUSICAL FICTION

MUSICAL FICTION IS A GENRE OF FICTION IN WHICH MUSIC IS

PARAMOUNT: BOTH AS SUBJECT MATTER, AND THROUGH THE RHYTHM
AND FLOW OF THE PROSE; THAT IS, MUSIC IS MANIFESTED THROUGH
THE LANGUAGE ITSELF.

NOTABLE AUTHORS WHO HAVE WRITTEN NOVELS OF MUSICAL FICTION

INCLUDE DON DELILLO (GREAT JONES STREET), TOM PEROTTA (THE
WISHBONES), LEWIS SHINER (GLIMPSES), RODDY DOYLE (THE
COMMITMENTS), ROBERT DUNN (PINK CADILLAC), NICK HORNBY (HIGH
FIDELITY), IBI KASLIK (THE ANGEL RIOTS), SCOTT SPENCER (THE RICH
MAN'S TABLE), BRIAN PAONE (YOURS TRULY, 2095), AND RANDY BLAZAK
(THE MISSION OF THE SACRED HEART).
 OCCUPATIONAL FICTION: SPORTS FICTION

A SPORTS FICTION IS A LITERARY

GENRE THAT FOCUSES ON THE THEME
OF SPORTS AND ATHLETICS IN
GENERAL.
 POLITICAL GENRE
BOOKS IN THE POLITICAL FICTION GENRE ARE MADE
UP OF STORIES THAT PROVIDE COMMENTARY ON
POLITICAL EVENTS, SYSTEMS, AND THEORIES
THROUGH A NARRATIVE TONE. THE BOOKS IN THIS
GENRE OFTEN DIRECTLY CRITICIZE AN EXISTING
SOCIETY, OR PRESENT AN ALTERNATIVE TO AN
EXISTING SOCIETY OR POLITICAL STRUCTURE. THEY
SOMETIMES PROPOSE ALTERNATE, OR FANTASTICAL,
REALITIES. SOMETIMES WORKS IN THE POLITICAL
GENRE EMPLOY SATIRE TO GET THEIR POINT ACROSS.
 POLITICAL FICTION GENRE EXAMPLES
1. 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL
2. ANIMAL FARM BY GEORGE
ORWELL
3. BRAVE NEW WORLD BY ALDOUS
HUXLEY
4. ATLAS SHRUGGED BY AYN RAND
5. FAHRENHEIT 451 BY RAY
BRADBURY
6. THE HANDMAID’S TALE BY
MARGARET ATWOOD
7. THE FOUNTAINHEAD BY AYN RAND
8. TRANSFER OF POWER BY VINCE
FLYNN
9. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE BY KURT
VONNEGUT
10. PRIMARY COLORS: A NOVEL OF
12. TERM LIMITS BY VINCE FLYNN
13. THE HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE
COLLINS
14. THE OVERTON WINDOW BY
GLENN BECK
15. ABSOLUTE POWER BY DAVID
BALDACCI
16. THE RACE BY RICHARD NORTH
PATTERSON
17. THE KITE RUNNER BY KHALED
HOSSEINI
18. THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON BY
ADAM JOHNSON
19. THE CAMEL CLUB BY DAVID
BALDACCI
20. AMERICAN ASSASSIN BY VINCE
 PULP FICTION
• AMERICAN PULP FICTION FIRST APPEARED ON
CHEAP, WOOD PULP PAPER. IN THE EARLY
20TH CENTURY, IT LIVED IN FICTION MAGAZINES
THAT COST NO MORE THAN A DIME.
• BOOKS ABOUT IMAGINARY CHARACTERS AND EVE
NTS, PRODUCED IN LARGE
QUANTITIES AND INTENDED TO BE READ BY
MANY PEOPLE BUT NOT CONSIDERED TO BE OF
VERY GOOD QUALITY:
 RELIGIOUS
THE RELIGIOUS GENRE HAS A LOT OF
STORIES THAT DEAL WITH PROPHECY,
ANGELS, DEMONS, SPIRITUAL CHOICES,
AND INSPIRATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT
OF FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM FROM
WHAT HINDERS HUMANITY.
 RELIGIOUS FICTION GENRE EXAMPLES
1. A CONSTANT HEART BY SIRI MITCHELL
2. A HEART MOST WORTHY BY SIRI
MITCHELL
3. ANGELS & DEMONS BY DAN BROWN
4. APOLLYON BY TIM LAHAYE
5. ARMAGEDDON: THE COSMIC BATTLE OF
THE AGES BY TIM LAHAYE
6. ASSASSINS BY TIM LAHAYE
7. DESECRATION BY TIM LAHAYE
8. DROPS OF GOLD BY SARAH M. EDEN
9. FORSAKEN DREAMS BY MARYLU
TYNDALL
10. LEFT BEHIND BY TIM LAHAYE
11. NICOLAE BY TIM LAHAYE
12. PEARL IN THE SAND BY TESSA AFSHAR
13. QUEEN OF THE WAVES BY JANICE
14. SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY BY SIRI
MITCHELL
15. SOUL HARVEST BY TIM LAHAYE
16. SURRENDER THE HEART BY MARYLU
TYNDALL
17. THE DA VINCI CODE BY DAN BROWN
18. THE INDWELLING BY TIM LAHAYE
19. THE MARK BY TIM LAHAYE
20. THE RED TENT BY ANITA DIAMANT
21. THE REMNANT BY TIM LAHAYE
22. THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS BY C.S.
LEWIS
23. THE SHACK: WHERE TRAGEDY
CONFRONTS ETERNITY BY WM. PAUL
YOUNG
24. TRIBULATION FORCE BY TIM LAHAYE
 SHORT STORY
SHORT STORIES ARE A DELECTABLE ANTHOLOGY
OF THE BEST OF AUTHORS AND THEIR STYLE.
SHORT STORIES COULD BE A SELECTION OF
STORIES BY ONE AUTHOR OR A COLLECTION BY
VARIOUS AUTHORS.
GOOD EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
• ANIMAL TALES, A COLLECTION OF STORIES BY DICK
KING-SMITH
 WOMEN’S FICTION
WOMEN'S FICTION IS A WIDE-RANGING LITERARY GENRE
THAT INCLUDES VARIOUS TYPES OF NOVELS THAT
GENERALLY APPEAL MORE TO WOMEN THAN MEN. THEY
ARE USUALLY WRITTEN BY WOMEN, ARE
ADDRESSED TO WOMEN, AND TELL ONE
PARTICULAR STORY ABOUT WOMEN. THE GENRE
DESCRIPTION IS AN UMBRELLA TERM THAT COVERS
MAINSTREAM NOVELS, ROMANTIC FICTION, CHICK LIT
 CHICK LIT
Penned by women authors, these books can be light and
funny and usually deal with relationships, dating, and
romance. Some cover more delicate themes such as
pregnancy, abortion, weight problems or drug abuse.

Examples are:
• Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done by Sarah Mlynowski
• Hello Gorgeous series by Taylor Morris.
 ACTION / ADVENTURE / THRILLER
• THE CHARACTERS (AND THE READER) CAN
ALWAYS EXPECT THE WORST - THE MAIN
CHARACTERS CAN, AND USUALLY DO, HAVE
EVERYTHING THROWN AT THEM.
• ACTION, ACTION AND MORE ACTION ARE
HALLMARKS OF A GOOD ADVENTURE/SUSPENSE
BOOK.
• AND FINALLY, THERE MUST BE A VILLAIN, FOR
WITHOUT A FOE…WITHOUT AN ADVERSARY,
ADVENTURE FICTION USUALLY INVOLVES THE
MAIN CHARACTER GOING ON A QUEST OR JOURNEY
AND EXPERIENCING EXTREME CONDITIONS. THIS
MAY OR MAY NOT INVOLVE HISTORY BUT HAS
PLENTY OF ACTION. SOME ADVENTURE FICTION
COULD ALSO INVOLVE ELEMENTS OF MYSTERY,
DYSTOPIA OR FANTASY.
• EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
• THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER BY MARK TWAIN
• THE TRAVELLING RESTAURANT: JASPER’S VOYAGE IN THREE PARTS A
NOVEL FOR CHILDREN BY BARBARA ELSE
• DAVID HILL'S NOVELS WOULD BE GOOD EXAMPLES OF
CONTEMPORARY NEW ZEALAND ADVENTURE NOVELS.