21st Century Literature of the Philippines

and the World

Grade 11/12 • Unit 4: Other Literary Genres

LESSON 4.1
Genre Fiction
Table of Contents
Introduction 1

Objectives 2

DepEd Competencies 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 4
Different Genres of Popular Fiction 5
Adventure 5
Fantasy 6
Historical 6
Horror 6
Mystery or Detective 7
Romance 9
Science Fiction 14
Young Adult 15

Key Points 15

Check Your Understanding 16

Let’s Step Up! 17

Bibliography 18

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Lesson 4.1
Genre Fiction

Fig. 1. There are so many books out there that will fit your style and interests.

Introduction
What stories do you like to read? Which books do you and your friends share? Some of you
may like reading fantasy, horror, adventure, or romance stories or novels. These are called
genres.

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Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Analyze genre fiction based on its emotions and purpose.
● Discuss popular genre fictions like fantasy, historical fiction, horror,
mystery or detective, romance, science fiction, and young adult.

DepEd Competencies
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Compare and contrast the various 21st-century literary genres and the
ones from the earlier genre/periods citing their elements, structures, and
traditions.
● Discuss how different contexts enhance the text’s meaning and enrich
the reader’s understanding (EN12Lit-Id-25).

Warm-Up

Triad Activity

Materials
● pen
● paper

Procedure
1. Form a group of three.
2. Look for eight literary genres that can be found in the following crossword puzzle.

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H A D V E N T U R E S E N G L I M S H L

H I R V C F R O M N C E H O R R Y H D I

I R W Y W E R C H F I Y W Y Z W S I D T

S D S G S D F A I V E Y S U N Q T S V E

T V F B D A V Z J C C T G K L J E T E R

O F C V V D B D L B E G F L Y G R O N A

R G A D G V N F N G F G V D O D Y R Y U

I W B K B E M G O R I B U E U E O C O T

C S C I E N C E F I C T I O N I R A U R

A Q W S E T W E F R I A Q W G P D P H E

L A D S D U B E S T O D A H A L E A R F

A X R R A R H O R R O R E T D S T C D U

B G G T Q E R G T Y N S P Q U W E D H U

C H B G Z Q W X V D F R E H L N C E E N

T J H B F A S D F G H J K H T M T G R F

E Q W S D A X C V P L S A M W B I H O U

H Q E T Y R O M A N C E D B C R V J H N

Y A C V B N M K L I O T D S O S E L I A

O E N J O Y Q X Z S O L V J K O Z B S D

U F A N T A S Y A V E N G E R H U L F V

Guide Questions
1. What literary genre that is presented in the puzzle are you most familiar with?
2. What information can you share about this literary genre?

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Learn about It
The dictionary defines genre as a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature,
characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Genre fiction (or popular, category, or formula fiction) focuses more on emotions. Its main
purpose is to evoke the readers’ feelings since the writer’s main goal is to entertain the
reader.

Genre fiction is typically characterized by lengthy dialogues, identifiable characters, and

fast-paced plots. A book does not necessarily have to belong to one specific genre; it can
belong to different genres (multi-genre).

Vocabulary
genre
a particular kind of literature or other art form
(noun)

critique
an analysis or examination of work or idea
(noun)

apocalyptic
a concept related to the destruction of the world
(adjective)

Essential Question
What makes fiction different from other literary genres?

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Different Genres of Popular Fiction

Adventure
This genre focuses on action and adventure as its central themes. Most of the time, the
conflict for this genre is the man vs. nature conflict.

Classic examples of works in the adventure genre are J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings,
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and
Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

(an excerpt)
Mark Twain

Miss Watson she kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome. By and by
they fetched the niggers in and had prayers, and then everybody was off to bed. I
went up to my room with a piece of candle, and put it on the table. Then I set down
in a chair by the window and tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no
use. I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead. The stars were shining, and the
leaves rustled in the woods ever so mournful; and I heard an owl, away off,
who-whooing about somebody that was dead, and a whippowill and a dog crying
about somebody that was going to die; and the wind was trying to whisper
something to me, and I couldn't make out what it was, and so it made the cold
shivers run over me. Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a
ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't
make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that
way every night grieving. I got so down-hearted and scared I did wish I had some
company. Pretty soon a spider went crawling up my shoulder, and I flipped it off
and it lit in the candle; and before I could budge it was all shriveled up. I didn't need
anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sign and would fetch me some bad

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luck, so I was scared and most shook the clothes off of me. I got up and turned
around in my tracks three times and crossed my breast every time; and then I tied
up a little lock of my hair with a thread to keep witches away. But I hadn't no
confidence. You do that when you've lost a horseshoe that you've found, instead of
nailing it up over the door, but I hadn't ever heard anybody say it was any way to
keep off bad luck when you'd killed a spider.

Fantasy
In this genre, the plot, setting, and theme showcase magic, and the characters may include
mythological and neo-mythological beings.

Popular examples of works in the fantasy genre are J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.

Historical
This genre is set in a significant or a recognizable point in history. Some characters may
even be historical figures; however, the dialogues, setting, plot, etc. are fictional. Most
historical fiction has political undertones.

Popular examples of historical fiction are Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha and Markus
Zusak’s The Book Thief. The movie Shakespeare in Love is a historical fiction that gives a
creative account of William Shakespeare’s love affair while writing Romeo and Juliet. Korean
dramas have their own classification of historical dramas that are collectively called Sageuk
Dramas. Jewel in the Palace, Empress Ki, and Love in the Moonlight are examples of historical
dramas in popular Korean culture.

Horror
This genre triggers the reader’s fear. Often, the writer creates an atmosphere of dread
throughout the whole or most of the story. The strategy of the author ranges from the
supernatural to psychological. Some horror stories have monsters. Some involve blood and

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gore to instill fear among the readers.

Classical horror novels include Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In the
twentieth century, H.P. Lovecraft is known as a master of horror for writing popular horror
novels such as The Dreams in the Witch House, The Whisperer in Darkness, and At the
Mountains of Madness. Popular contemporary horror authors include Stephen King, Peter
Straub, and Dean Koontz.

Mystery or Detective
This genre involves elements, such as a crime, which remain unsolved until the end of the
narration. Mystery or detective fiction also involves elements such as a character who
struggles to solve the mystery, good characterization, and motivation to solve a mystery or
crime.

A classic mystery fiction is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. Edward
Stratemeyer’s Hardy Boys (under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon) and Nancy Drew (under
the pseudonym Carolyn Keene) are mystery fiction novels that are popular among young
adult readers. The popular American hit series CSI also belongs to this genre since a mystery
is set at the beginning of each episode and would only be solved in the end.

Chapter 4: The Sign of the Four

(an excerpt)
From Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle

We were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment into which he invited
us. In that sorry house it looked as out of place as a diamond of the first water in a
setting of brass. The richest and glossiest of curtains and tapestries draped the
walls, looped back here and there to expose some richly mounted painting or
Oriental vase. The carpet was of amber and black, so soft and so thick that the foot

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sank pleasantly into it, as into a bed of moss. Two great tiger-skins thrown athwart
it increased the suggestion of Eastern luxury, as did a huge hookah which stood
upon a mat in the corner. A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an
almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room. As it burned it filled the air
with a subtle and aromatic odour.

"Mr. Thaddeus Sholto," said the little man, still jerking and smiling. "That is my
name. You are Miss Morstan, of course. And these gentlemen —"

"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and this Dr. Watson."

"A doctor, eh?" cried he, much excited. "Have you your stethoscope? Might I ask you
— would you have the kindness? I have grave doubts as to my mitral valve, if you
would be so very good. The aortic I may rely upon, but I should value your opinion
upon the mitral."

I listened to his heart, as requested, but was unable to find anything amiss, save,
indeed, that he was in an ecstasy of fear, for he shivered from head to foot.

"It appears to be normal," I said. "You have no cause for uneasiness."

"You will excuse my anxiety, Miss Morstan," he remarked airily. "I am a great
sufferer, and I have long had suspicions as to that valve. I am delighted to hear that
they are unwarranted. Had your father, Miss Morstan, refrained from throwing a
strain upon his heart, he might have been alive now."

I could have struck the man across the face, so hot was I at this callous and offhand
reference to so delicate a matter. Miss Morstan sat down, and her face grew white
to the lips.

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"I knew in my heart that he was dead," said she.

Romance
This genre focuses on the love between a man and a woman. It has two main elements: a
central love story and an emotionally satisfying optimistic ending. Most works of romance
fiction are told from the point of view of the female protagonist. The plot of this genre
focuses on the conflict that hinders the relationship of the characters and how this conflict
is resolved.

Classic romance literature examples are Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Sense and
Sensibility, and Emma and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. A popular example of a romance
novel is Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook.

Pride and Prejudice (excerpt)

Jane Austen

But this idea was soon banished, and her spirits were very differently affected,
when, to her utter amazement, she saw Mr. Darcy walk into the room. In an hurried
manner he immediately began an inquiry after her health, imputing his visit to a
wish of hearing that she were better. She answered him with cold civility. He sat
down for a few moments, and then getting up walked about the room. Elizabeth
was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several minutes he came
towards her in an agitated manner, and thus began:

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must
allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

Elizabeth's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted,

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and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement, and the avowal of all
that he felt and had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well, but there
were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more
eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority—of
its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always
opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the
consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

In spite of her deeply-rooted dislike, she could not be insensible to the compliment
of such a man's affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an instant, she
was at first sorry for the pain he was to receive; till, roused to resentment by his
subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger. She tried, however, to
compose herself to answer him with patience, when he should have done. He
concluded with representing to her the strength of that attachment which, in spite
of all his endeavours, he had found impossible to conquer; and with expressing his
hope that it would now be rewarded by her acceptance of his hand. As he said this,
she could easily see that he had no doubt of a favourable answer. He spoke of
apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security. Such a
circumstance could only exasperate farther, and when he ceased, the colour rose
into her cheeks, and she said,

"In such cases as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a sense of
obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be returned. It
is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now
thank you. But I cannot—I have never desired your good opinion, and you have
certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have occasioned pain to any
one. It has been most unconsciously done, however, and I hope will be of short
duration. The feelings which, you tell me, have long prevented the acknowledgment
of your regard, can have little difficulty in overcoming it after this explanation."

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Mr. Darcy, who was leaning against the mantle-piece with his eyes fixed on her face,
seemed to catch her words with no less resentment than surprise. His complexion
became pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every
feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure, and would not open
his lips, till he believed himself to have attained it. The pause was to Elizabeth's
feelings dreadful. At length, in a voice of forced calmness, he said,

"And this is all the reply which I am to have the honour of expecting! I might,
perhaps, wish to be informed why, with so little endeavour at civility, I am thus
rejected. But it is of small importance."

"I might as well inquire," replied she, "why with so evident a design of offending and
insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your
reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I
was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You know I have. Had not my own
feelings decided against you, had they been indifferent, or had they even been
favourable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man,
who has been the means of ruining, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most
beloved sister?"

As she pronounced these words, Mr. Darcy changed colour; but the emotion was
short, and he listened without attempting to interrupt her while she continued.

"I have every reason in the world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse the unjust
and ungenerous part you acted there. You dare not, you cannot deny that you have
been the principal, if not the only means of dividing them from each other, of
exposing one to the censure of the world for caprice and instability, the other to its
derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest
kind."

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She paused, and saw with no slight indignation that he was listening with an air
which proved him wholly unmoved by any feeling of remorse. He even looked at
her with a smile of affected incredulity.

"Can you deny that you have done it?" she repeated.

With assumed tranquillity he then replied, "I have no wish of denying that I did
everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister, or that I rejoice in
my success.—Towards him I have been kinder than towards myself."

Elizabeth disdained the appearance of noticing this civil reflection, but its meaning
did not escape, nor was it likely to conciliate her.

"But it is not merely this affair," she continued, "on which my dislike is
founded.—Long before it had taken place, my opinion of you was decided. Your
character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from Mr.
Wickham. On this subject, what can you have to say? In what imaginary act of
friendship can you here defend yourself? or under what misrepresentation can you
here impose upon others?"

"You take an eager interest in that gentleman's concerns," said Darcy in a less
tranquil tone, and with a heightened colour.

"Who that knows what his misfortunes have been, can help feeling an interest in
him?"

"His misfortunes!" repeated Darcy contemptuously—"yes, his misfortunes have

been great indeed."

"And of your infliction," cried Elizabeth with energy. "You have reduced him to his

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present state of poverty, comparative poverty. You have withheld the advantages
which you must know to have been designed for him.—You have deprived the best
years of his life, of that independence which was no less his due than his desert.
You have done all this! and yet you can treat the mention of his misfortunes with
contempt and ridicule."

"And this," cried Darcy, as he walked with quick steps across the room, "is your
opinion of me! This is the estimation in which you hold me! I thank you for
explaining it so fully. My faults, according to this calculation, are heavy indeed! But
perhaps," added he, stopping in his walk, and turning towards her, "these offences
might have been overlooked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest
confession of the scruples that had long prevented my forming any serious design.
These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I, with greater policy,
concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled by
unqualified, unalloyed inclination; by reason, by reflection, by everything. But
disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed of the feelings I related.
They were natural and just. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your
connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in
life is so decidedly beneath my own?"

Elizabeth felt herself growing more angry every moment; yet she tried to the
utmost to speak with composure when she said,

"You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration
affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have
felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner."

She saw him start at this, but he said nothing, and she continued,

"You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would

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have tempted me to accept it."

Again his astonishment was obvious; and he looked at her with an expression of
mingled incredulity and mortification. She went on.

"From the very beginning, from the first moment, I may almost say, of my
acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your
arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were
such as to form that groundwork of disapprobation, on which succeeding events
have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt
that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to
marry."

"You have said quite enough, madam. I perfectly comprehend your feelings and
have now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive me for having
taken up so much of your time, and accept my best wishes for your health and
happiness."

Science Fiction
This genre involves science and technology as the basis of its conflict, setting, or plot. Most
science fiction takes place in the future and features robots, chemicals, or evolution. Science
fiction mostly showcases what may happen in the future should there be an abuse of nature
or overuse of technology. At times, science fiction is a critique of human attitude in the
present time and how this may affect the future.

H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine are classic examples of science
fiction. The movies Jurassic Park, The Matrix, District 9, Back to the Future, and Planet of the
Apes are also considered science fiction.

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Young Adult
This genre is specifically written for readers from twelve to seventeen years old. Most of the
books in this genre involve characters who are in the said age range.

John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars is an example of a young adult novel. The Hunger Games,
even though having a post-apocalyptic theme, involves young adult characters that young
adult readers relate with. The Harry Potter series is a set of fantasy novels that are also
classified as young adult.

Let’s Check In
How would you differentiate adventure from fantasy?

Key Points

● Fiction is a literary genre that dwells on the creativity of the author.

● Each fictional genre is distinct from the others in terms of ideas and material.
○ The emphasis in adventure is on action.
○ The mythological creatures are the center of fantasy.
○ Historical fiction concentrates on a significant event of human history.
○ Human fears are the focus of horror.
○ The mystery or detective genre entails solving crimes.
○ The focus of romance is on the love between two individuals.
○ SciFi (science fiction) is a genre that explores the consequences of
technology.
○ Young Adult is a genre that focuses on the experiences of teens.

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Check Your Understanding

Match the items in column A with those in column B.

Column A Column B

_____________ 1. fantasy a. It is set at a significant

point in history.

_____________ 2. historical b. It focuses on the love

between two people.

_____________ 3. adventure c. It tells the story of

teenagers in society.

_____________ 4. science fiction d. Its theme showcases

magic.

_____________ 5. romance e. It focuses on the different

actions of the character(s).

f. It involves technology as its

main plot.

Identify the genre of each of the following literary titles.

________________ 1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

________________ 2. The Chronicles of Narnia

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________________ 3. Back to the Future

________________ 4. Hardy Boys

________________ 5. Sense and Sensibility

Complete the word analogy by supplying the correct concept.

1. Tolkien : ____________________ :: Twain : The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

2. Rowling : Harry Potter :: Riordan : ____________________

3. Memoirs of a Geisha : Golden :: ____________________ : Zusak

4. Frankenstein : ____________________ :: Nancy Drew : Mystery

5. Wuthering Heights : Emily Brontë :: Jane Eyre : ____________________

Let’s Step Up!

Read Ray Bradbury’s There Will Come Soft Rains (a copy is available online). Analyze
and discuss the story with your classmates. In your discussion, answer the following:
1. What kind of genre fiction is the story? Why did you say so?
2. Why do you think the story is titled such?

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Bibliography
Austen, Jane. 1813. "Pride and Prejudice." Wikisource. Accessed June 4, 2018.
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice/Chapter_34.

“Definitions of Fiction Categories and Genres.” Writers Digest University. December 07, 2014.
Accessed May 27, 2018.
https://web.archive.org/web/20141225140724/http://resources.writersonlineworksh
ops.com/resources/definitions-of-fiction-categories-and-genres/.

“Digital Poetry.” Poetry Beyond Text. Accessed May 27, 2018.

http://www.poetrybeyondtext.org/digital-poetry.html.
Doyle, Artur Conan. 1890. "The Sign of the Four." Wikisource. Accessed June 4, 2018.
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Sign_of_the_Four.
Funkhouser, Christopher. “Digital Poetry: A Look at Generative, Visual, and Interconnected
Possibilities in its First Four Decades.” In A Companion to Digital Literary Studies,
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405148641.xml&chunk.id=ss1-5-11&toc.id=0&brand=9781405148641_brand.
Kowalczyk, Piotr. “15 Most Popular Fanfiction Websites.”Ebook Friendly. February 19,
2017. Accessed May 27, 2018. https://ebookfriendly.com/fan-fiction-websites/.
Maloney, Jennifer and Anna Russell. “Slipstream Fiction Goes Mainstream.” The Wall
Street Journal. Last modified February 4, 2015. Accessed May 27, 2018.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/slipstream-fiction-goes-mainstream-1423072888.
Merriam Webster. Accessed May 27, 2018. https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Milhorn, Howard T. Writing Genre Fiction: A Guide to the Craft. Boca Raton, FL:
Universal Publishers, 2006.
Moleti, Carole Ann. “Graphic Literature: A Blend of Genre, Medium, and Form An
International Survey of Graphic Literature.” The Internet Review of Science

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Fiction. 2008. Accessed May 27, 2018. http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10423.

“Theories of Metafiction.” Postmodern Theories and Texts. Accessed May 27, 2018.
http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/postmodernism/metafiction.htm
Twain, Mark. 1884. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Wikisource. Accessed June
4, 2018. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Adventures_Huckleberry_Finn_Chapter_I.
“What is E-Lit?” Electronic Literature Organization. Accessed May 27, 2018.
https://eliterature.org/what-is-e-lit/.
“What is Digital Fiction?” Reading Digital Fiction. Accessed May 27, 2018.
https://readingdigitalfiction.com/about/what-is-digital-fiction/.

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