KINDS OF FICTION FOR

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

(Lesson 9)
 Kinds of Fiction for Children and Adolescents

Fiction is a literary genre that involves imaginative storytelling,

often creating narratives that are not strictly based on real
events. It is a vast and fascinating literary world, with various
kinds that captivate readers in different ways.
 LITERARY FICTION

Literary Fiction is a category of fiction that prioritizes character

development, thematic depth, and artistic expression over plot-driven
storytelling. Unlike genre fiction, which often follows specific formulas
(such as mystery or fantasy), literary fiction tends to explore complex
human emotions, social issues, and philosophical ideas.
 Key Characteristics of Literary Fiction

▪ Deep Characterization – It focuses on intricate, well-developed

characters rather than action-driven plots.

▪ Theme-Driven – It explores profound themes such as identity, morality,

relationships, and the human experience.

▪ Complex Writing Style – It uses rich language, symbolism, and poetic

prose.
 Examples of Literary Fiction

▪ To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) – It examines racial injustice and moral growth.

▪ The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) – It explores wealth, love, and
disillusionment.

▪ Beloved (Toni Morrison) – It deals with memory, trauma, and the legacy of
slavery.

▪ The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) – It is about a coming-of-age story with
introspection and critique of society.
 GENRE FICTION

Genre Fiction (Popular Fiction) refers to stories that follow specific

conventions based on established categories, making them easily
recognizable by themes, settings, and storytelling techniques. It is often
written for entertainment and tends to be plot-driven, meaning the story
moves forward based on events rather than deep character introspection.
 Key Characteristics of Genre Fiction

▪ Defined by Tropes – It uses familiar elements within each genre (for

instance, detectives in mystery, magic in fantasy).

▪ Plot-Driven – It focuses on action, adventure, and engaging storytelling.

▪ Escapism – It often aims to entertain rather than challenge readers

intellectually.

▪ Market-Oriented – It is written for a broad audience and often sold in large

quantities.
 Popular Types of Genre Fiction

▪ Mystery – It centers on solving crimes, secrets, or puzzles. It often involves a

detective, investigative work, and unexpected twists.

Example: Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle)

▪ Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) – It explores futuristic themes, advanced technology, space,

and alternate realities. The common themes include artificial intelligence, time
travel, and utopian and dystopian societies.

Example: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

 Popular Types of Genre Fiction

▪ Fantasy – It features magical elements, mythical creatures, or magical realms. It

often follows a hero’s journey, quests, or battles between good and evil.

Example: Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)

▪ Romance – It centers on relationships, emotions, and love stories. It can range

from light-hearted romantic comedies to deep emotional dramas.

Example: Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

 Popular Types of Genre Fiction

▪ Horror – It is designed to evoke fear, suspense, or psychological terror. It may

involve supernatural elements, psychological horror, or gore.

Example: Dracula (Bram Stoker)

▪ Thriller – It is fast-paced, high-stakes story involving danger, crime, or espionage.

It keeps the readers engaged with twists and suspenseful action.

Example: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)

 Popular Types of Genre Fiction

▪ Horror – It is designed to evoke fear, suspense, or psychological terror. It may

involve supernatural elements, psychological horror, or gore.

Example: Dracula (Bram Stoker)

▪ Thriller – It is fast-paced, high-stakes story involving danger, crime, or espionage.

It keeps the readers engaged with twists and suspenseful action.

Example: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)

 Popular Types of Genre Fiction

▪ Historical Fiction – It is set in a real historical time period but features fictional
characters. It often integrates real events, figures, and societal issues.

Example: The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

▪ Adventure – It features a protagonist embarking on exciting, often perilous

journeys. It may include survival themes, exploration, or heroic exploits.

Example: Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)

 SPECULATIVE FICTION

Speculative Fiction is an umbrella term that covers stories that explore

“what if?” scenarios, pushing beyond the boundaries of reality to
speculate on possibilities beyond our current world. It blends elements of
fantasy, science fiction, horror, and alternate histories, often imagining
worlds with advanced technology, supernatural forces, or drastically
different societies.
 Key Characteristics of Speculative Fiction

▪ Exploration of the Unknown – It often involves futuristic technology, alternate

realities, or mythical elements.

▪ Thought-Provoking Themes – It explores social, philosophical, and existential

questions.

▪ World-Building – It creates unique universes, whether based on science,

history, or magic.

▪ Blurring of Genres – It can include sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian fiction, and horror.
 Popular Types of Speculative Fiction

▪ Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) – It imagines futuristic advancements, space exploration,

or AI (like Dune by Frank Herbert).

▪ Fantasy – It includes magical worlds, mythical creatures, and supernatural

elements (like The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien).

▪ Dystopian Fiction – It explores societies that have fallen into oppression or chaos
(like 1984 by George Orwell).
 Popular Types of Speculative Fiction

▪ Alternate History – It reimagines historical events with different outcomes (like

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick).

▪ Horror – It can include supernatural or psychological horror (like The Shining by

Stephen King).

Note: Speculative fiction challenges reality, making readers question the

limits of human imagination. It is the genre that asks, “What if things
were different?”
 REALISTIC FICTION

Realistic Fiction is a type of fiction that tells stories set in the real world,
featuring believable characters, events, and settings. Although the stories
are made up, they could happen in real life because they reflect real
human experiences, relationships, and struggles.
 Key Characteristics of Realistic Fiction

▪ Authentic Characters – The characters are people who feel real, with
emotions, flaws, and relatable personalities.

▪ Believable Settings – The places in the setting could exist in the real world.

▪ Real-Life Issues – The themes often focus on family, friendships, love, personal
growth, social issues, or identity.

▪ Everyday Conflicts – The problems in the story are commonly encountered by

real people, such as bullying, loss, self-discovery, or overcoming challenges.
 Examples of Realistic Fiction

▪ The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) – It is a coming-of-age novel

about self-acceptance and friendship.

▪ Wonder (R.J. Palacio) – It is a story about a boy with a facial difference navigating
school life.

▪ The Fault in Our Stars (John Green) – It is a heartfelt love story dealing with illness
and hope.

▪ To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) – It is a powerful novel about racial injustice

and growing up.
 EXPERIMENTAL FICTION

Experimental Fiction is a type of storytelling that breaks traditional

narrative structures and challenges conventional ways of reading and
interpreting literature. It pushes the boundaries of form, style, and
content, often incorporating unusual formats, fragmented storytelling,
nonlinear timelines, or unconventional grammar and typography.
 Key Characteristics of Experimental Fiction

▪ Nonlinear Narratives – The events may not follow a chronological

order.

▪ Unique Formatting – It may include visual elements, altered text

structures, or even blank pages.

▪ Unconventional Language – It uses stream-of-consciousness writing,

repetition, or abstract phrasing.
 Key Characteristics of Experimental Fiction

▪ Blurring of Genres – It may mix elements of fiction, poetry, visual art,

or even philosophy.

▪ Active Reader Engagement – It often requires deep interpretation and

interaction beyond traditional reading.
 Examples of Experimental Fiction

▪ House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski) – It is a novel that includes shifting fonts,

footnotes, and text formatting that mirrors psychological horror.

▪ If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino) – It is a novel about a reader trying

to read a novel, breaking the fourth wall, and playing with narrative.

▪ Finnegans Wake (James Joyce) – It is a novel with almost incomprehensible

language, wordplay, and dream-like sequences.

▪ The Dictionary of the Khazars (Milorad Pavić) – It is structured like a dictionary,

allowing readers to explore the story in any order.
 FLASH FICTION

Flash fiction is a very short form of storytelling that delivers a complete

narrative in a limited word count—usually under 1,000 words, though
some definitions go as low as six words! It is a concise, impactful, and
thought-provoking form of fiction that forces writers to be creative with
their words while still crafting compelling characters, plots, and emotions.
 Key Characteristics of Flash Fiction

▪ Brevity – The story is extremely short but still contains a full arc.

▪ Efficiency – Every word matters, so there’s no room for unnecessary

descriptions.

▪ Surprise Factor – Often has unexpected twists or deep emotional weight.

▪ Immediate Impact – The story quickly grabs readers and leaves a lasting
impression.
 Popular Types of Flash Fiction

▪ Microfiction – It contains 300 words or fewer, sometimes even six-word

stories (For example: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”).

▪ Drabble – It exactly contains 100 words, challenging writers to be

extremely concise.

▪ Sudden Fiction – It is slightly longer, around 750 to 1,000 words, allowing

for a more developed plot.
 Examples of Experimental Fiction

▪ Harrison Bergeron (Kurt Vonnegut) – It is a thought-provoking dystopian

short story.

▪ Sticks (George Saunders) – It is a powerful story told in just a couple of

paragraphs.

▪ Girl (Jamaica Kincaid) – It is a poetic, instruction-based short piece.

 Popular Types of Flash Fiction

▪ Twitterature – (a blend of ‘Twitter’ and ‘literature’) refers to literary

works or storytelling that take place within the constraints of Twitter's
character limit. It is a modern form of microfiction where writers craft
compelling stories, poems, or reflections in 280 characters or fewer
(previously, the limit was 140 characters).

Example: “Found dead. Wallet empty. Wedding ring missing.”

 Popular Types of Flash Fiction

Examples of Twitterature

1. Six-Word Stories – Example: “Found dead. Wallet empty. Wedding ring missing.”

2. Micro-Poetry – Short-form poetic verses squeezed into a tweet.

3. Story Threads – Some authors post a series of connected tweets to tell longer stories.

There are even books inspired by Twitterature, such as Twitterature: The World's
Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets by Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin, which
summarizes classic literature in tweet-sized snippets.
 SHORT STORY

A short story is a brief fictional narrative that typically revolves around a

single event, character, or theme. Unlike novels, which have complex plots
and multiple subplots, short stories are concise, aiming to deliver a strong
emotional or intellectual impact within a limited word count—often
between 1,000 to 7,500 words, though they can be much shorter.
 Key Characteristics of Short Story

▪ Focused Plot – It usually revolves around one central conflict

or idea.
▪ Few Characters – It typically features a small cast, making
each character more impactful.
▪ Strong Themes – It explores emotions, relationships, morality,
or human experiences.
 Key Characteristics of Short Story

▪ Efficient Storytelling – Every word matters, so it eliminates

unnecessary details.
▪ Twists and Resolutions – It often contains a surprising ending
or thought-provoking conclusion.
 Popular Types of Short Stories

▪ Literary Short Stories – It focus on deep themes and character exploration.

Example: The Lottery (Shirley Jackson)

▪ Flash Fiction – It is a very short story under 1,000 words.

▪ Horror Short Stories – It is designed to evoke fear or suspense.

Example: The Tell-Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe).

▪ Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Stories – It imagines futuristic or magical worlds
Example: Nightfall (Isaac Asimov)
REMINDER!

Be ready for a 25-item quiz on Thursday.