Genres
A genre is a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition. Several literary genres exist to broaden knowledge and entertain. In ancient times, literature was divided into two main categories: tragedy and comedy. Alternatively, in modern days, the list of possible types and literature genres are endless. However, it is possible to narrow down the vast amount of literature available into a few basic groups. The five categories of literature which students should be familiar with are poetry, drama, prose, nonfiction, and media of the above genres are explained in more detail below.
Poetry
This is often considered the oldest form of literature. Even before writing was invented, oral stories were commonly put into some poetic form to make them easier to remember and recite. In today’s world, it is usually written down but still sometimes performed. Many people think of rhymes and counting syllables and lines when they think of poetry, and some poems certainly follow strict forms. However, other types of [poetry are such free forms that lack any rhyme or common pattern. Several kinds of poetry cross the genre lines, such as prose poetry. In general, though, a text is a poem when it has some meter and rhythm and focuses on the way the syllables, words, and phrases sound when put together. Poems are heavy in imaginary and metaphor and are often made up of fragments and phrases rather than complete, grammatically correct sentences.
Similarly, poetry is nearly written in instances and lines, creating a unique look on the page. Poetry, as experienced in the classroom, is usually one of three types. There are shorter, more modern poems, spanning everything from a few lines to a few pages. Often these are collected in books of poems by a single author or by a variety of writers. The ‘Raven’ by Edgar is one of the most commonly taught poems of these types. Alternatively, there are the classical, formulaic poems of Shakespeare’s time, such as the blank verse and the sonnet. Moreover, there are the ancient, epic poems written from oral stories.
Prose
They can be defined as any written text that is not poetry. The most typical prose varieties are novels and short stories, while other types include letters and diaries—journals and nonfiction stories. The prose is written in complete sentences and organized in [paragraphs. Instead of focusing on sound like [poetry, prose tends to focus on plot and characters. It is the type of literature read mostly and often taught in English in classrooms. Any novel or short story falls in this category. Just like poetry, the prose is broken down into a large number of other genres. Some of these genres revolve around the structure of the text, such as novellas, biographies, and memoir, and others are based on subject matter like romance, fentanyl, and mysteries.
Drama
This is any text meant to be performed rather than being read. In layman’s language, dramas are usually called phrases. When written down, the bulk of a drama is dialogue, with periodic stage directions such as ‘he looks away happily.’ Of all the literature genres discussed in this paper, the drama is the one given the least time in most classrooms. Often, when a drama is taught, it is only read the same way one might read a novel since dramas are meant to be acted out in front of an audience. It is hard to appreciate them when looking only at pages of texts fully. Students respond best to dramas and grasp their mechanism more fully when exposed to film to theatre versions or encouraged to read aloud or act out scenes during class. The dramas most commonly taught in classrooms are those written by bard. Shakespeare plays are challenging but rewarding when approached when a little effort under a critical mindset. Finally, any good drama unit should include more modern plays for comparison.
Nonfiction
Poetry and drama, both belong to the broader category of fiction. Nonfiction is a vast category type of prose and includes many different types of sub-genres. It can be creative such as the personal essay, or virtual such as the scientific paper. Sometimes, the purpose of nonfiction is to tell a story; however, most of the time, the purpose is to pass on the information and educate the reader about certain facts, ideas, or issues. Some genres of nonfiction include history, textbooks, travel books, newspapers, and criticism. However, the varieties often used in classrooms are textbooks, literary criticism, and various sorts of essays. Most of what students practice writing in the classroom is a nonfiction essay from virtual too personal to persuasive. Nonfiction is often used to support and expand students’ understanding of fiction stories.
Media
This is the newest type of literature, which is often defined as a distinct genre. This categorization was created to encompass the various modern important sorts of texts today, such as movies and films, websites, commercials, billboards, and radio programs. Any work that does not exist primarily as a written text can probably be considered media, particularly if it relies on recently developed technologies. Media literature serves a wide variety of purposes. For instance, it educates, entertains, advertises, and persuade. More and more educators can now recognize the importance of teaching media in the classrooms. Students are likely to be exposed to far more of this type of literature than anything else. So it makes sense to teach them how to be critical and active consumers of media. Teaching media literacy is a great way for educators to help students become participants in their own culture through lessons on creating their websites or home movies.
Importance of genres
They give writers a specific type of literature to work within. They allow writers to specialize in one genre or to double in others. Students in creative writing may as well focus on a variety of genres. They are also useful because both writers and readers can use them for cognitive and social accomplishment. They help readers develop analytical and persuasive capabilities. However, the main function goes genre is to establish a code of behavior between the writers and audience and keep the readers informed about the topics discussed to the themes presented.