Forms of Literature

1. Forms of Literature Language Arts Standards: 7E1b.1 Structural Features of Informational Text 7E1c.1 Discuss the purposes and characteristics of different forms of literary text

2. Prose • The ordinary form of written language. • Most writing that is not poetry, drama, or song is considered prose. • Prose is one of the major genres of literature and occurs in two forms, fiction and nonfiction.

3. Children’s Literature • A form of literature for readers and listeners up to about age twelve and is often illustrated. • Children’s literature can include books that are written by children, books written specifically for children, or books that are chosen by/for children. • Two common forms of children’s literature are picture books and chapter books.

4. Picture Books • A book in which the colorful illustrations are as important as the text, both contributing to the telling of the story. • Often use rhyme, repetition, and other poetic elements to increase engagement of young children. • Picture books are often among the first books introduced to children and are usually intended to be read to them.

5. Chapter Books • A book long enough to be divided into chapters, but not long or complex enough to be considered a novel. • Chapter books intended for the youngest children often contain some illustrations.

6. Young Adult Literature • Books selected for reading by young adults, ages 13 to 18, whether published specifically for them or for the general public. • The vast majority of the stories published specifically for young adults, portray an adolescent as the protagonist, rather than an adult or a child. • The subject matter and story lines are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character. • Themes in these stories often focus on the challenges of youth. • Despite its unique characteristics, this type of literature shares the fundamental elements of fiction with other stories: character, plot, setting, theme, and style.

7. Young Adult Literature:Coming-of-Age Story • A type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. • Some of the shifts that take place are these: • ignorance to knowledge • innocence to experience • false view of world to correct view • idealism to realism • immature responses to mature responses

8. Short Story • A short story is a brief work of fiction. • Although concise, is does contain all the literary story elements. • Like a novel, a short story presents a sequence of events, or plot. The plot usually deals with a central conflict faced by a main character, or protagonist. • The events in a short story usually communicate a message about life or human nature. The message, or central idea, is the story’s theme.

9. Novella A work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel.

10. Novel • A novel is a long work of fiction. • Novels contain all the elements of short stories, including characters, plot, conflict, and setting. • However, novels are much longer than short stories. The writer of novels, or novelists, can develop these elements more fully than a writer of short stories can. In addition to its main plot, a novel may contain one or more subplots, or independent, related stories. A novel may also have several themes.

11. Poetry • A form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities, and not usually for its apparent meaning. • Poems are often divided into lines and stanzas that employ regular rhythmical patterns, or meters. • However, some poems are written out like prose or free verse. • Most poems use highly concise musical and emotionally charged language. • Many poems use imagery, figurative language, and special devices such as rhyme.

12. Drama • A drama is a story written to be performed by actors. • Although a drama is meant to be performed, one can also read the script, or written version, and imagine the action. The script of a drama is made up of dialogue and stage directions. Both the dialogue and stage directions aid comprehension when reading a drama. • Dialogue- the words meant to be spoken by the actors • Stage directions- usually printed in italics, describe the setting and effects of sound and lighting and tell how the actors should look, move, and speak • Dramas are often divided into parts called acts. The acts are often divided into smaller parts called scenes.

13. Comic Book • A periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it • cartoon strips, comic strips, and/or funnies- a sequence of drawings telling a story in a newspaper or comic book

14. Graphic Novel • A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential artwork. • Unlike comic books, graphic novels usually cover a story from start to finish, rather than the traditional “cliffhanger” ending.

15. Nonfiction Literature • Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir • Informational Books • Technical Manuals • Reference Sources • Encyclopedias • Dictionaries • Thesaurus • Articles, Essays, and Critiques

16. Essay An essay is a short nonfiction work about a particular subject. Most essays have a single major focus and a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. There are many types of essays, but most can be placed into one of four main categories. • Expository- relates information or provides explanations • Narrative- a story about a real-life experience • Persuasive- presents and supports an opinion • Descriptive (Most essays contain elements of description, but few are purely descriptive essays.)

17. Critique Critical Analysis/ Literary Analysis 1. (verb) the study of a literary work by a critic, student, or scholar. 2. (noun) a report about the elements of a literary work which is based on a careful, detailed reading and analysis of that work

18. Articles • A stand-alone section of a larger written work. • These nonfictional prose compositions appear in magazines, newspapers, academic journals, the Internet or any other type of publication. • Articles can be divided into two main categories: news and features. • News Article- discusses current or recent news of either general interest or on a specific topic • Feature- nonfiction articles that intend to inform, teach or amuse the reader on a topic. The topic centers around human interests. Feature stories may include conventions found in fiction such as dialogue, plot and character. A feature article is an umbrella term that includes many literary structures: personality sketches, essays, how-to's, interviews and many others.

19. Resources: • http://www.nde.state.ne.us/read/framework/glossary/general_a-e.html • http://en.wikipedia.org • http://www.thefreedictionary.com • http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm • Prentice Hall Literature Bronze