Classifications of Literature

CLASSIFICATIONS OF LITERATURE
CLASSIFIED INTO:
STRUCTURE GENRE FORM
FICTION FICTION PROSE
NON FICTION NON FICTION POETRY
DRAMA
POETRY
FOLKTALE
STRUCTURE
FICTION
✔ It is a literary work of imaginative narration, either oral/written
✔ It describes imaginary events and people (fantasy)
✔ Its purpose is to entertain, let the readers think and feel

STRUCTURE
NON-FICTION
✔ It is literary work of “real life” narration / exposition based on
history and facts, real events and real people
✔ It aims to convey knowledge, facts, theories / concepts of a
topic
GENRE
FANTASY
FICTION characters or settings could not exist in
the world
CONTEMPORARY FICTION HISTORICAL FICTION

stories take place in the present day portray life during a particular period in history
and characters encounter modern day
difficulties and issues
MYSTERY SCIENCE FICTION
characters use various clues to solve exciting realities made possible by imagined
crimes or uncover a culprit technologies or social changes

GENRE
NON-FICTION
GENRE
DRAMA
GENRE
POETRY
GENRE
FOLKTALE
MYTH
EPIC LEGEND
FABLE
21st Literary Genre
CHICK LIT
HYPERPOETRY
BLOGS
SPECULATIVE FICTION
TEXTULA
FLASH FICTION
GRAPHIC NOVEL
CHICK LIT
-It is written by women for women

-It uses a strong female character who is trying to live in the
modern world
-Its plot is light-hearted smart and funny
HYPERPOETRY
-It is also called as cyberpoetry

-It could not be presented without the aid of computers
-It includes verse with links to sub-poems or footnotes, poetry “generators”,
poetry with movement or images
BLOGS
-It is shortened of the term “web log”

-It is a regularly updated journal on the internet
-Blogger is the term used for a person who has a blog
-It gives opportunity to articulate thoughts and opinions
SPECULATIVE FICTION
-The setting is futuristic and involves supernatural elements

-It also encompasses horror and science fiction works
TEXTULA
-It
has its own origin in tanaga, a traditional Filipino poem which
has 4 lines and 7 syllables each
Ex. Mga texttula nila Atilla Roma and Adle Enriquez
FLASH FICTION
-It is notable for its brevity

-It is also called as short story, micro fiction, micro-narrative, and
sudden fiction
-Ernest Hemingway and Italo Calvino wrote short works that
exemplify the genre
GRAPHIC NOVEL
-It utilizes pictures in narrating a long story

-It has growing popularity
-It includes manga and comics
FORM
PROSE
NOVEL
This is a long narrative divided into chapters

PROSE
SHORT STORY
This is a narrative involving one or more
characters, one plot and one single impression.
PROSE
PLAYS
This is presented on a stage, is divided into acts and each
acts has many scenes.
PROSE
LEGEND
These are fictitious narratives, usually about origins. It
provides historical information regarding the culture and
views of particular group of people or country.
PROSE
FOLKTALES
A traditional narrative, usually anonymous,

and handed down orally.
PROSE
FABLES
These are also fictitious and they deal with
animals and inanimate things who speak and act
like people.
PROSE
MYTHS
A traditional sacred story, typically revolving around the
activities of gods and heroes, which aim to explain a
natural phenomenon or cultural practice

PROSE
ANECDOTES
These are merely products of writer’s imagination
and the main is to bring out the lessons to the
reader.
PROSE
ESSAY
This expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer
about a particular problem or event.

PROSE
BIOGRAPHY
This deals with the life of a person which may be about
himself, his autobiography or that of others.

PROSE
NEWS
This is a report of everyday events in the society,
government, science, and industry, accidents etc.,
happening nationally or not.

PROSE
ORATION
a formal speech, especially one given on a
ceremonial occasion.
NARRATIVE
POETRY
POETRY
NARRATIVE LYRIC
❑ EPIC
FOLK SONGS
❑ SONNETS
1. POPULAR/ANCIENT EPIC
❑ ELEGY
2. MODERN
❑ ODE
❑ METRICAL TALES ❑ PSALMS
❑ BALLADS ❑ AWIT
❑ CORRIDOS
DRAMATIC
❑ COMEDY
❑ MELODRAMA
❑ TRAGEDY
❑ FARCE
❑ SOCIAL POEMS
NARRATIVE POETRY
NARRATIVE
This form describes important
events in life either real or
MODERN EPIC imaginary. EPIC
It is an extended narrative about

heroic exploits under supernatural
With a definite author.
control. It may deal with heroes
POPULAR OR ANCIENT
EPIC and gods.
Often without a definite author

and is of slow growth.
NARRATIVE POETRY
METRICAL TALE
This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be classified
either as a ballad or metrical romance.

NARRATIVE POETRY
BALLADS
This is considered as the shortest and simplest of the narrative
poems. It has a simple structure and tells of a single incident.
Variations of these are:
Love Ballads, War Ballads, Sea Ballads,Humurous, Moral,

Historical, or Mythical Ballads
LYRIC POETRY
LYRIC POETRY
FOLK SONGS (AWITING BAYAN)
These are short poems intended to be sung. The common theme
is love, despair, grief, doubt, hope and sorrow.

LYRIC POETRY
SONNETS
This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling
or an idea. There are two types: the Italian and the
Shakespearean.
LYRIC POETRY
ELEGY
This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and
melancholy, and whose theme is death.

LYRIC POETRY
ODE
This is a poem of noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no
definite number of syllables or definite number of lines in a
stanza.
LYRIC POETRY
PSALMS
This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a
philosophy of life.
LYRIC POETRY
AWIT (SONG)
These have the measures of twelve syllables and slowly sung to
the accompaniment of guitar or banduria.

Example: FLORANTE AT LAURA
O pagsintang labis ng kapangyarihan,
Sampung mag aama’y iyong nasasaklaw
Pag ikaw ang nasok sa puso ninuman,
Hahamakin ang lahat masunod ka lamang!
LYRIC POETRY
CORRIDOS
These have measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic) and recited
to a martial beat. The songs are often about oppressions, daily life
peasants, and other socially important information.
Example: Ibong Adarna
SAGOT SA PANALANGIN
Diyos nga’y di natutulog
At ang tao’y sinusubok;
Ang salari’y sinusunog
Ang banal ay kinukupkop

DRAMATIC
POETRY
DRAMATIC POETRY
This is an emotional piece of literature which includes a
story which is recited or sung. Soliloquy and dramatic
monologues are the main instruments of this form of
poetry.
DRAMATIC POETRY
COMEDY
This word comes from the Greek word “Komos” meaning
festivity or revelry. This form usually is light and written with a
purpose of amusing, and usually has a happy ending.
DRAMATIC POETRY
MELODRAMA
This is a creative performance or actions with lots of exaggerated
emotion, tension or excitement. A soap opera is an example of a
melodrama. A person who is constantly breaking up and getting back
together with her boyfriend in emotional scenes is an example.
Examples:
A WALK TO REMEMBER
THE LAST SONG
LETTERS TO JULIET
DRAMATIC POETRY
TRAGEDY
This involves the hero struggling mightily against
dynamic forces.
Examples:
Romeo and Juliet
Oedipus Rex
DRAMATIC POETRY
FARCE
This is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse
amusement by laughable lines; situations are too
ridiculous to be true; the characters seem to be
caricatures.
DRAMATIC POETRY
SOCIAL POEMS
This form is either purely comic or tragic and it pictures
the life of today. It may aim to bring about changes in the
social conditions.

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CLASSIFICATIONS OF LITERATURE

FICTION FICTION PROSE

NON FICTION NON FICTION POETRY

✔ It is a literary work of imaginative narration, either oral/written

✔ It describes imaginary events and people (fantasy)

✔ Its purpose is to entertain, let the readers think and feel

✔ It is literary work of “real life” narration / exposition based on

history and facts, real events and real people

✔ It aims to convey knowledge, facts, theories / concepts of a

CONTEMPORARY FICTION HISTORICAL FICTION

MYSTERY SCIENCE FICTION

crimes or uncover a culprit technologies or social changes

-It is written by women for women

-It is also called as cyberpoetry

-It is shortened of the term “web log”

-The setting is futuristic and involves supernatural elements

-It is notable for its brevity

-It utilizes pictures in narrating a long story

This is a long narrative divided into chapters

A traditional narrative, usually anonymous,

A traditional sacred story, typically revolving around the

activities of gods and heroes, which aim to explain a

natural phenomenon or cultural practice

These are merely products of writer’s imagination

and the main is to bring out the lessons to the

This expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer

about a particular problem or event.

This deals with the life of a person which may be about

himself, his autobiography or that of others.

This is a report of everyday events in the society,

government, science, and industry, accidents etc.,

happening nationally or not.

a formal speech, especially one given on a

MODERN EPIC imaginary. EPIC

It is an extended narrative about

Often without a definite author

This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be classified

either as a ballad or metrical romance.

This is considered as the shortest and simplest of the narrative

poems. It has a simple structure and tells of a single incident.

Variations of these are:

Love Ballads, War Ballads, Sea Ballads,Humurous, Moral,

These are short poems intended to be sung. The common theme

is love, despair, grief, doubt, hope and sorrow.

This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling

or an idea. There are two types: the Italian and the

melancholy, and whose theme is death.

This is a poem of noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no

definite number of syllables or definite number of lines in a

This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a

These have the measures of twelve syllables and slowly sung to

the accompaniment of guitar or banduria.

Example: Ibong Adarna

Diyos nga’y di natutulog

At ang tao’y sinusubok;

Ang salari’y sinusunog

Ang banal ay kinukupkop

This is an emotional piece of literature which includes a