Example: Fairy Tales

1
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Fairy Tales
• Some of the elements of the genre of fairy tales
• Begins with the phrase like Once upon a time
  or Once there was
• Setting is a faraway or imaginary land
• Characters are often royal, such as kings,
  queens, princes, princess
• Things happen or appear in threes
• The granting of wishes
• The use of magical powers
• A happy ending where good wins over evil

Nancy R. Craig
2
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Folk Tales
• Some of the elements of the genre of folk tales
• A story that has been told and retold over
  generations
• Different countries have similar folk tales
• Folk tales often begin with Once upon a time or
  Long ago in a far away place
• Characters can be animals or objects that can
  speak
• The story often teaches a lesson or moral
• Good or smart wins over evil or stupid
• The story is told using the words he, she or it
• Actions or words are often repeated (in a
  pattern)
• The story has an exciting high point at the end

Nancy R. Craig
3
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Adventure Tale
• Some of the elements of the genre of adventure
  tales
• A story has characters who behave like real
  people and animals.
• The settings are real or could be real.
• The events could happen in real life
• The story has action or suspense, or both.

Nancy R. Craig
4
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Fable
• Some of the elements of the genre of fable
• Stories are very short
• Stories usually have two or three characters
• The characters may be animals or things that act
  like people
• Teach a lesson or moral

Nancy R. Craig
5
Rules
The Study of Genre

• ExampleFantasy
• Some of the elements of the genre of fantasy
• People,animals,or objects do things they cannot
  do in real life.
• Story takes place in a make-believe setting that
  does not exist in the real world
• Story has creatures in it that are not found in
  real life

Nancy R. Craig
6
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Legend
• Some of the elements of the genre of legend
• A story about a hero or heroine
• May be based on facts, but the hero or heroines
  actions are bigger than life
• The story has factual elements, but through
  countless retellings, the characters and their
  actions have become exaggerated

Nancy R. Craig
7
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Myth
• Some of the elements of the genre of myth
• A story that offers an explanation of how
  something in nature looks or happens
• A story that explains why people act as they do
• The characters may be human, or gods or goddesses

Nancy R. Craig
8
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Biography
• Some of the elements of the genre of biography
• An account of a real persons life written by
  someone else
• Tells important information about a persons
  life, including his or her achievements or
  talents.
• Tells how a person talks, feels, and thinks about
  things
• Either may be the about the persons whole life
  or part of their life
• Events are usually told in the order they
  occurred (chronologically)

Nancy R. Craig
9
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Autobiography
• Some of the elements of the genre of
  autobiography
• An account by a person about his or her own life
• Tells important information about their own life,
  including achievements or talents.
• Tells how the person talks, feels, and thinks
  about things
• Either may be the about the persons whole life
  or part of their life
• Events are usually told in the order they
  occurred (chronologically)

Nancy R. Craig
10
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Science Fiction
• Some of the elements of the genre of science
  fiction
• Characters solve problems in a futuristic setting
  anywhere in the universe
• Humans, extraterrestrials, or members of other
  species
• Involve the effects of advanced science and
  technology on life

Nancy R. Craig
11
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Realistic Fiction
• Some of the elements of of the genre realistic
  fiction
• Characters behave like real people and animals
• Settings in the story are real or could be real
• Events in the story could happen in real life
• Conflicts in the story are similar to problems
  that happen in real life

Nancy R. Craig
12
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Historical Fiction
• Some of the elements of the genre of historical
  fiction
• Story is set in a particular time and place in
  the past
• Story contains details that make the story more
  realistic.
• Characters talk, dress, and act like people of
  that time period
• Story involves real people and actual events that
  happened in history

Nancy R. Craig
13
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Narrative Non-Fiction
• Some of the elements of the genre of narrative
  non- fiction
• Characters are real people, settings are real
  places, and the plot is comprised of real events
  presented in the form of a story.
• Story includes thoughts and feeling the author
  imagines the characters might have had.

Nancy R. Craig
14
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Informational Text
• Some of the elements of the genre of
  informational text
• Gives factual and verifiable information about a
  specific subject. Information presented can be
  checked using other sources, i.e. newspapers,
  encyclopedias, etc.
• Uses facts about real events and people
• Presents information in a clear way
• Gives events in the order in which they happened
• Writing organized by topics
• May use diagrams, photographs, and other
  illustrations

Nancy R. Craig
15
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Play/Drama
• Some of the elements of the genre of play/drama
• Meant to be performed or acted out
• Has a list that names and describes the
  characters
• Includes descriptions of scenes or settings
• Includes dialogue or lines that the characters
  speak to one another
• Includes stage directions giving more details
  about what is happening on the stage or what
  actors are to do

Nancy R. Craig
16
Rules
The Study of Genre

• Example Poetry
• Some of the elements of the genre of poetry
• Poems often contain words that rhyme
• Poems often contain incomplete sentences, each on
  its own line
• Poems often contain lines with rhythm or meter
• Poems often contain repeated words
• Poems often are rich in imagery

Nancy R. Craig