Literacy terms for Genre

Genre

A category or type of literature. Literature is commonly divided into three major genres: poetry, prose, and drama. These major genres are in turn divided into lesser genres.

Theme

A central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work, (life lesson) Not all works of fiction have a theme, but most do. Do not confuse theme with topic, The theme should not be stated as a single word. For instance, friendship can be the subject or topic of a novel, but a statement of theme should establish what the author is saying about friendship. For instance, the theme might be, "A true friend will always be there for you."

Central idea

The most important thoughts of an entire text; these ideas determine what the entire text is mostly about.

First person point of view

The narrator is a character in the story and refers to himself or herself with the first person pronoun I.

Omniscient third person point of view

The narrator knows and tells about what each character thinks and feels. This narrator is outside of the story and knows all.

Limited third person point of view

The narrator relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only one character, and everything is viewed from this character's perspective.

Point of View

The perspective or vantage point from which a story is told. Three commonly points of view are first person, omniscient third person, and a limited third person. Note: In an informational text, point of view is the perspective or opinion of the author. In literary texts, point of view is not only the perspective or opinion of who is telling the story, but could also be the perspective or opinion of a character. Look carefully at the context of the question when asked about point of view.

Author's purpose

Why the author wrote what he/she did; an author may have more than one purpose for writing a piece of literature, such as to entertain, instruct or inform, persuade, or describe. An author may want to affect the reader emotionally through the use of literary devices. Author's purpose refers to the intended impact that an author wants a text to have on the reader. For example, Dr. Seuss's purpose in writing The Lorax was to warn the reader of the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth's environment.

Anecdote

a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event told to entertain or to make/illustrate a point.

Persuasion

a communicative purpose in which a writer attempts to convince an audience of his/her point of view or to move the audience to action.

Autobiography

a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells his or her own life story. It may tell about a person's whole life or only a part of it.

Fantasy

highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life.

data

information that is often numeric and usually used for analysis.

Nonfiction

prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, ideas, or events. To be classified as nonfiction, a work must be true.

Fiction

prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events.

Mood, (or atmosphere)

the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. The mood is often suggested by descriptive details.

Author's message

the intent of the writer, what he/she is trying to say or the point the writer is trying to make, possibly related to the moral of the story, if it has one. The message is related to the author's purpose.

Foreshadowing

the use of clues in a literary work that suggest events that have yet to occur. This technique helps to create suspense, keeping reader wondering what will happen next.

Tone

the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject. The tone can often be described as a single adjective, such as formal or informal, serious or playful, bitter or ironic.

Poetry

writing designed to express or convey a vivid and imaginative sense of experience, especially by the use of condensed language chosen for its sound, suggestive power, and literary characteristics as well as for its meaning. Language choices may also be made to achieve meter, rhyme, and natural cadences.