Module 5:

Fictional
Genre
 Directions: Using the provided acrostic,
present what you have known about the
previous lesson about the elements of fiction.
Fictional Genres
Certain settings suit specific genres.
These will vary in type, details, intensity,
and length of description. The tone
employed by the author, and the mood
created for the reader, must also suit the
genre.
 These are some of the fictional genres that you may
encounter while reading a story or watching a film.

1. FANTASY
A story that is imaginative but could never really
happen. The setting may be of another world.
Characters might be magical like talking animals,
sorceries, witches and wizardry. It is a genre of
imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure,
especially in a setting other than the real world.
Many fantasy novels involve adventure as
a key feature. Characters may discover
portals to other worlds or discover hidden
magic, wonder and surprise in our own
world. Novels from C.S. Lewis’s classic
Chronicles of Narnia series to J.K.
Rowling’s Harry Potter series populate
imaginary worlds with mythical beasts,
power- seeking tyrants and more.
Element 1: Magic
The word magic comes from the Greek
word magikos. This means ‘one of the
members of the learned and
priestly class’. This explains how
magic, in fantasy, is often associated
with learning, with complex books and
rituals.

Magic in great books takes many

forms.
Element 2: Adventure
Adventure in fantasy is common, from bands of travelling,
questing heroes (like Frodo and friends in Tolkien’s The Lord of
the Rings) to girls who fall down magical rabbit holes (Alice in
Wonderland).
Adventure in fantasy often features another meaning of magic:
‘A quality of being beautiful and delightful in a way that
seems remote from daily life.’
Adventure does indeed take us to places that seem remote
from daily life, full of new joys and discoveries (or dangers).
 
Adventure means ‘an unusual and exciting or daring
experience’, as well as ‘excitement associated with
danger or the taking of risks’.
Element 3: Struggle for mystery
Themes of struggle and mystery are
found in many forms throughout many
fantasy novels. Part of this is due to
fantasy’s origins in ideas of arcane,
‘special’, yet volatile and dangerous
knowledge. The initiate often must learn
to control the unpredictable surges of
‘wild’ magic, to trace or utter the ‘right’
thing to achieve the desired effect.
Element 4: Setting
Because of its exploration of
the otherworldly and the
supernatural, place is a key
aspect of many fantasy
novels. Some places are
created through magic.
These are some of the literary pieces under fantasy
genre:

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter

• The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
• Alice Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K.
Rowling
• Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy / Hobbit, by J. R. R.
Tolkien
2. HISTORICAL FICTION
A story that takes place in
a historically accurate time
and setting. The characters
and some events are
fictional.
Element 1: Character – whether real or
imagined, characters behave in keeping with the
era they inhabit, even if they push the
boundaries. And that means discovering the
norms, attitudes, beliefs and expectations of
their time and station in life.
Element 2: Dialogue - is cumbersome and
difficult to understand detracts from readers’
enjoyment of historical fiction. Dip occasionally
into the vocabulary and grammatical structures
of the past by inserting select words and
phrases so that a reader knows s/he is in
another time period.
Element 3: Setting – setting is time and place. More than
75% of participants in a 2013 reader survey selected ‘to
bring the past to life’ as the primary reason for reading
historical fiction. Your job as a writer is to do just that.
Even more critically, you need to transport your readers
into the past in the first few paragraphs.
Element 4: Plot – the plot has to make sense for the time
period. And plot will often be shaped around or by the
historical events taking place at that time. This is
particularly true when writing about famous historical
figures. When considering those historical events,
remember that you are telling a story not writing
history.
Element 5: Conflict – the problems
faced by the characters in your story.
As with theme and plot, conflict must
be realistic for the chosen time and
place. Readers will want to understand
the reasons for the conflicts you
present. An unmarried woman in the
15th century might be forced into
marriage with a difficult man or the
taking of religious vows. Both choices
lead to conflict.
 
These are some of the literary pieces under historical fiction genre:
 
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Tolstoy's epic masterpiece depicting the French invasion of Russia
during the Napoleonic era
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The fictional memoir of a geisha, from age nine to adulthood, in pre-
and post WWII Japan
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
A gothic novel that inspired a flood of tourists to Paris' most famous
cathedral
The friar's daughter: a story of the American occupation of
the Philippines / (Girard, Kansas : the author, 1909), by Charles
Lincoln Phifer
Luha at dugo: (hayag na pangyayari, buhat ng 1895
hanggang 1913) by M. B. Sevilla
3. SCIENCE FICTION
A story that is typically set in the future or on
other planets. It is based on the impact of
actual, imagined, or potential science. It is a
type of imaginative literature. It provides a
mental picture of something that may happen
on realistic scientific principles and facts. This
fiction might portray, for instance, a world
where young people are living on Mars. Hence,
it is known as “futuristic fiction.” It dramatizes
the wonders of technology, and resembles
heroic fantasy where magic is substituted with
technology.
Often called “sci-fi,” it is a genre of
fiction literature whose content is
imaginative, but based in science.
It relies heavily on scientific facts,
theories, and principles as support
for its settings, characters,
themes, and plot-lines, which is
what makes it different from
fantasy.
 Importance of Science Fiction
Many times, science fiction turns real scientific
theories into full stories about what is
possible and/or imaginable. Many stories use
hard facts and truths of sciences to:
(a) suggest what could really happen in the
future
(b) to explore what could happen if certain
events or circumstances came to be or
(c) suggest consequences of technological and
scientific advancements and innovation.
These are some of the literary pieces
under Science Fiction genre:
 
• The Avengers
• Frankenstein, or, The Modern
Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft
Shelley
• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
• Men in Black 3 by Barry Sonnenfeld
• Planet of the Apes by Franklin J.
Schaffner
• The Matrix by Wachowski brothers
 4. MYSTERY FICTION
Mystery is a genre of literature
whose stories focus on a
puzzling crime, situation, or
circumstance that needs to be
solved. The term comes from
the Latin mysterium, meaning
“a secret thing”.
 Stories can be either fictional or
nonfictional, and can focus on both
supernatural and non-supernatural
topics. Many mystery stories involve
what is called a “whodunit” scenario,
meaning the mystery revolves around
the uncovering a culprit or criminal.
 Importance of Mystery
Mysteries are important because
they feature topics that are
usually both fascinating and
troubling to the human mind—
unsolved crimes, unexplained
questions and events in natural
and human history,
supernatural curiosities, and so
on.
The late 1800’s gave rise to the iconic
fictional character Sherlock Holmes, a
detective who is featured in a series of
mystery novels and short stories
written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most
of the stories are told from the
perspective of Dr. Watson, Holmes’s
assistant and companion. Holmes is
an independent detective based in
London with eccentric personality and
highly logical reasoning skills.
 These are some of the literary pieces under
Mystery Fiction genre:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg

Larsson
A run-away bestseller, The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo has everything a mystery requires.
Murder, family ties, love in the air, and financial
shenanigans. What happened to Harriet Vanger
who disappeared forty years ago? Mikael
Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist, and Lisbeth
Salander, a tattooed and pierced hacker genius,
are on the case. They uncover family iniquity
and corruption at the top of Sweden’s industrial
ladder.
 And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
Ten people, strangers, gather on a private island as weekend
guests of an unseen eccentric millionaire. These strangers
have secrets to keep, but one by one they are murdered.
They all have something in common, though—they each have
a wicked past they’re hiding, a secret that seals their fate.
Only the dead are above suspicion.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark

Haddon
Christopher John Francis Boone’s logical mind can find patterns
and rules for everything but has little time or inclination for
understanding human emotions. When his neighbor’s dog,
Wellington, is killed, he starts a quest to find the killer using
Sherlock Holmes as his model.
 5. REALISTIC
FICTION
A story that seems real or
could happen in real life. It is set
in present day and includes
modern day problems and events.
Characteristics of Realistic Fiction
A quick way to classify a story or novel as realistic
fiction is to identify the following characteristics within
that literary work:
1. Realistic fiction stories tend to take place in the
present or recent past.
2. Characters are involved in events that could happen.
3. Characters live in places that could be or are real.
4. The characters seem like real people with real issues
solved in a realistic way (so say goodbye to stories
containing vampires, werewolves, sorcerers,
dragons, zombies, etc.).
5. The events portrayed in realistic fiction conjure
questions that a reader could face in everyday life.
Realistic fiction attempts to portray the
world as it is. It contains no fantasy, no
supernatural elements, and it usually
depicts ordinary people going about the
business of daily living, with all its joys,
sorrow, successes, and failures.

Subjects that were once taboo in realistic

fiction are now commonplace, and
language and character development
are presented with greater candor and
boldness.
In good realistic fiction,
• the characters are engaging and
believable.
• the dialogue is believable.
• the plot is fresh and original.
• the setting is true to life.
• the problems faced by the characters are
honestly portrayed.
• the resolution makes sense.
• the theme grows naturally out of the
action and characters - the writer does not
preach at us.
These are some of the literary pieces under Realistic
Fiction genre:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

John Green’s fourth novel, The Fault in Our Stars, has
gained a following among tween and teen readers.
This is partly due to its tragic love story, but may also
be due to its thought-provoking subject matter. The
book explores philosophical questions about the
meaning of life, death, and suffering.
 
 
While adults may find the topics in this novel heavy
and too mature for children, Green believes that
young readers are probably already thinking about
them.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a realistic fiction novel, humorously describes the
troubles of being in middle school and trying to fit in with integrated text
and drawings. This is the first book in the immensely popular Diary of a
Wimpy Kid series.
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent
of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was
1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he
had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he’d fall
for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town’s Baptist minister. A quiet
girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content
living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed
father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy
had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. Then a
twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon
Carter’s life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the
depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would
send him irrevocably on the road to manhood.
6. HORROR
The horror genre in literature dates back to
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, where horror
stories explored themes related to death,
demons, evil spirits, and the afterlife.

Horror literature in the nineteenth century and

twentieth centuries often focused on tales
involving occult ideas, like Mary Shelly’s
Frankenstein (1818) or Bram Stoker’s Dracula
(1897).
 Modern horror novels have expanded
the genre to include new elements and
contemporary themes, like serial killers
and slasher stories—Stephen King’s The
Shining (1977) is a perfect example—as
well as genre mashups that combine
horror with historical fantasy, and
modern interpretations of fantastical
creatures, like ghosts, vampires,
werewolves, and witches.
7. COMEDY
Comedy is generally defined as a
literary work that is written to
amuse or entertain a reader. In a
comedy, characters can certainly
suffer misfortune, but they are
typically comedic situations with
positive outcomes.
 Other
Fictional
Genres:
8. Adventure - A story where a protagonist and other
major characters and are placed in dangerous situations.
The characters must use their wit and skills to defeat
the antagonist.
9. Folktales
a. Fable - A brief story that is meant to tell a lesson or
a moral. The characters are usually animals with
human characteristics.
b. Fairy Tale - A story that has magical elements. The
characters are usually fairies, giants, elves, and
other magical creatures.
c. Legend - A story usually about a national or folk hero.
This story takes place in a particular time and place and is
partly true and partly fiction. The character traits of the
hero are typically exaggerated.
d. Tall Tale - A humorous story with extreme
exaggerations. The main character, or hero, usually does
impossible things with ease.
e. Myth - A story that is often based on a historical
event that is meant to serve as an explanation for some
phenomenon of nature or human behavior. Characters are
usually gods.
Some Tips in Writing a Fictional Story
Writing fiction is not as hard as it seems, as long as you
follow these ten simple rules:
1. Choose what design you need to compose your fiction in. This
may rely upon what kind of story you need to tell.
2. Build up the stakes early. To be connecting with, your fiction
needs clear stakes for its characters. These don't need to be world-breaking,
yet they do need to feel critical to the characters.
3. Create three-dimensional characters. Let's assume you're
expounding on a hard-charging broker who's having an extramarital illicit
relationship. This is a decent beginning, however to abstain from
transforming him into an adage, you have to round him out in three
measurements. In each passage, tell the peruser precisely how high, wide,
and long he is.
4. Figure out the basic setting and plot.
You have to have a strong feeling of what your story's reality
resembles, who lives on the planet, and what will occur in your story
before you begin composing full scenes and sections. In the event that
you have a decent comprehension of your characters, which you
ought to have in the wake of conceptualizing, let their characters and
blemishes control your plot.
For setting, ask yourself questions like these: When is it? Is it in
the present? The future? The past? More than one? What's the season?
Is it cold, hot or mild? Is it stormy? Where is it? Is it in this world? A
different world? An alternate universe? What country? City?
Province/State?
5. Don’t be too predictable.
While a lot of fiction proceeds along very familiar lines
-- consider how many stories are about heroic
quests or 2 people who initially hate each other
but learn to love each other -- you don’t want to
lapse into formulaic storytelling. If your reader
can predict everything that’s going to happen,
they won’t care about finishing your story.
6. Give your characters motivations.
If you’re having trouble fleshing out your
characters, continually ask yourself in each scene,
“What does this character want?” Say this out loud
enough, and soon someone nearby will ask why you
keep repeating that. Do not reply, but simply keep
questioning aloud, “What does this character want?”
7. Start writing what you know.
You may want to try pen and paper instead of the
computer for the first draft. If you're sitting at a
computer and there's one part that you just can't seem
to get right, you could find yourself sitting there for
ages trying to figure it out, typing and re-typing. With
pen and paper, you just write it and it's on paper. If
you get stuck, you can skip it and keep going. Just start
wherever seems like a good place and write. Use your
outline when you forget where you're going. Keep on
going until you get to the end.
8. No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader.
If you’re not moved by your story, don’t expect your
reader to be. Therefore, sob uncontrollably as you compose.
9. Revise, revise, revise.
This goes without saying. Follow the Writing Process that
you have learned.
10. Trust yourself.
Ultimately, you should value your own judgment over
that of others. Except for this list of writing rules. It is
completely accurate.
- END -