Literature is usually divided into two branches, fiction and non-fiction, and each branch holds many different types: from anthologies, fables, and science fiction to biographies, dictionaries, and travel guides. This overview lists the most common ones.
Many bestseller lists, such as the one by the New York Times, divide books into fiction and non-fiction. Yet those two labels don't capture even a fraction of the variety of literature, ancient and modern. Both branches consist of many different forms and types.
Knowing these types helps you choose what to read and what to recommend to others. And when you write something yourself, it helps you decide which form the story you want to tell should take.
Here is a list of literary types in fiction and non-fiction. It is by no means complete.
Types of fiction
- Anthology: a collection of works by different authors, often with background information about the time, the authors, their intentions, and so on.
- Classic: a work of fiction that has become part of the accepted literary canon; classics are often taught in schools.
- Comics and graphic novels: fiction told with the help of pictures. (They are not quite the same thing: see the difference between comics and graphic novels.)
- Crime, detective, and mystery: fiction about committing a crime, solving it, and what happens afterwards.
- Drama: fiction written to be performed on a stage.
- Fable: a short story with a moral, usually with animals as its characters.
- Fairy tale: a story with magic and fantastic creatures; it can carry a moral and is usually told to children.
- Fan fiction: fiction written by a fan and based on a series, a movie, a novel, and so on.
- Fantasy: fiction set in other, imaginary worlds that asks the reader to suspend disbelief.
- Horror: fiction that revolves around horrific and frightening events, for the reader or for the characters.
- Legend: a story that has been handed down for centuries, often based on facts but "spiced up" with fiction.
- Myth: a story that is regarded as sacred, and often as true, and that involves gods or supernatural beings.
- Poetry: verse that often rhymes and follows certain patterns of rhythm and form.
- Romance: fiction that focuses on love and relationships; it can be tragic.
- Satire: a humorous take on a person or a political or economic situation; it can be hilarious or quite dark.
- Science fiction: stories built around real or imagined science and technology and where they could lead.
Types of non-fiction
- Autobiography: the story of a person's life, written by that person.
- Biography: the story of a person's life, written by another author.
- Cookbook: a collection of recipes.
- Diary: dated, private notes of the author's thoughts, opinions, and the events of each day.
- Dictionary: a list of words and their meanings, or, in a bilingual dictionary, their translations.
- Encyclopedia: a collection of terms, objects, and other subjects, each with a detailed description, history, origin, and so on.
- Guide: a collection of references or information on a certain topic.
- History: an account of documented events of the past, with their political background, economic developments, and so on.
- Journal: similar to a diary, but often written with other readers in mind.
- Science: an explanation of a scientific subject such as math, biology, chemistry, or physics.
- Self-help: a guide to improving yourself, whether in money, emotions, the mind, or other areas of life.
- Travel: a book about a country, a region, or a city, with facts, information, tips, maps, and so on.
If you want to write a book of your own on the non-fiction side, read how to write non-fiction.