Genres of Literature

Genre usually falls under one of the two categories: one is fiction and another one is non-fiction. Fiction is an imaginative plot of any authors, mostly created by an individual. Non-Fictions are generally a work of realistic and factual things. This is the initial division of any literature work. The four most important genre are Poetry, Drama, Fiction and Non-Fiction. Here I have stated some crucial genre types will be helpful to understand the core things. 

Common genres: Fiction

Classic – A book that accepted as noteworthy or exemplary and being listed in great books category. Mostly taught in schools.

Comic/Graphic novel – Book which contains comic art or pictures in a sequential order that explains each individual scenes. 

Crime/Detective – These books have thrilling and twisting plot of suspense, and usually the motto is to chase the criminals by evidences.

Drama – stories which are composed in prose or verse form for theatrical performance, where usually the emotions and reactions are expressed through dialogue and action

Fable – Mostly it's a supernatural tale and narration representing a beneficial truth, particularly in which animals speak as persons.

Fairy tale – It is widely a story about fairies and also some existence of magical creatures.

Fantasy – A book with strange or unearthly settings or characters; also a fiction which has suspension of reality.

Fiction narrative – literary works has content is formed by the imagination in a sequence and is not essentially based on facts.

Folklore – the songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a set of people that passed down by just verbal but not in written format.

Historical fiction – story with fictional characters and events in a historical setting

Horror – fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader

Humor – Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres

Legend – story, sometimes of a national or folk hero, that has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material

Magical realism – story where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic environment

Metafiction – also known as romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, uses self-reference to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the "truth" of a story

Mystery – this is fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets

Mythology – legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods

Mythopoeia – this is fiction where characters from religious mythology, traditional myths, folklores and history are recast into a re-imagined realm created by the author.

Realistic fiction – story that is true to life

Science fiction – story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets

Short story – fiction of such brevity that it supports no subplots

Suspense/Thriller – fiction about harm about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harm

Tall tale – humorous story with blatant exaggerations, swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance

Western – set in the American Old West frontier and typically set in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century

Common genres: non-fiction

Biography/Autobiography - Narrative of a person's life. A true story about a real person.

Essay - A short literary composition that reflects the author's outlook or point.

Journalism - reporting on news / current events

Laboratory report - A report of an experiment.

Memoir - Factual story that focuses on a significant relationship between the writer and a person, place, or object. Reads like a novel.

Narrative nonfiction/Personal narrative - Factual information about a significant event presented in a format which tells a story.

Reference book - Dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, etc.

Self-help book - Information with the intention of instructing readers on solving personal problems.

Speech - Public address or discourse.

Textbook - Authoritative and detailed factual description of a topic.