https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_writing_genres
The classic major genres of literature are:
Other major book genres include
Subsets of genres, known as common genres, have developed from the archetypes of genres in written expression.
- Classic – fiction that has become part of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools
- Comics/Graphic novel – comic magazine or book based on a sequence of pictures (often hand drawn) and few words.
- Crime/detective – fiction about a crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the crime
- Fable – legendary, supernatural tale demonstrating a useful truth
- Fairy tale – story about fairies or other magical creatures
- Fan fiction – fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, or book. Usually published on online platforms such as Fanfiction.net or Wattpad
- Fantasy – fiction in a unreal setting that often includes magic, magical creatures, or the supernatural
- Folklore – the songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or "folk" as handed down by word of mouth
- Historical fiction – story with fictional characters and events in an 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
- Meta fiction (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 – fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the revealing 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 – fiction in which characters from religious mythology, traditional myths, folklore and/or history are recast into a re-imagined realm created by the author
- Picture book – picture storybook is a book with very little words and a lot of pictures; picture stories are usually for children
- Realistic fiction – story that is true to life
- Science fiction – story based on the impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, often set in the future or on other planets
- Short story – fiction of great brevity, usually 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, such as swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance
- Western – fiction set in the American Old West frontier and typically in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century
Common genres: non-fiction[edit]
- Biography – a narrative of a person's life; when the author is also the main sub, this is an autobiography.
- Essay – a short literary composition that reflects the author's outlook or point.
- Owner's manual (also Instruction manual, User's guide) – an instructional book or booklet that is supplied with consumer products such as vehicles, home appliances, firearms, toys and computer peripherals
- Journalism – reporting on news and current events
- Lab 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 short novel
- Narrative nonfiction/personal narrative – factual information about a significant event presented in a format that tells a story
- Reference book – such as a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, or atlas
- 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.