Prose
* Fiction:
* Novel: Long, complex narratives exploring character development, themes, and plot across multiple storylines.
* Novella: Shorter than a novel, but still focused on a complete story, often with a more focused theme or plot.
* Short Story: Brief, focused narratives with a clear beginning, middle, and end, often with a single plot thread.
* Flash Fiction: Extremely short stories, often only a few paragraphs long, focused on delivering a powerful impact or unique experience.
* Science Fiction: Explores imagined technologies, futures, and societies.
* Fantasy: Features magical elements, mythical creatures, and often explores themes of good versus evil.
* Romance: Focuses on the development of a love story between two characters.
* Mystery: Involves the investigation of a crime or puzzle, with clues and suspense.
* Thriller: Creates suspense and tension through danger, threat, and psychological elements.
* Historical Fiction: Set in the past, often incorporating real historical events and figures.
* Literary Fiction: Focuses on character development, themes, and language, often exploring complex emotions and societal issues.
* Magical Realism: Blends realistic settings with fantastical elements, often to explore cultural or personal truths.
* Nonfiction:
* Biography: Tells the story of a person's life, often including personal experiences and events.
* Autobiography: Written by the subject of the biography, about their own life.
* Memoir: Focuses on a specific period or experience in the author's life, often with a personal and reflective tone.
* Essay: Presents a focused argument or exploration of a particular topic.
* History: Chronicles past events and figures, often with factual accuracy and analysis.
* Science Writing: Explains scientific concepts and discoveries.
* Travel Writing: Records personal experiences and observations during travel.
* Journalism: Reports on current events and issues, often based on factual information and interviews.
Poetry
* Narrative Poetry: Tells a story, often featuring characters, plot, and setting.
* Epic: Long, narrative poem, typically celebrating heroic deeds and events of historical or cultural significance.
* Ballad: Traditional, narrative poem, often featuring romance, tragedy, or folk tales.
* Lyric Poetry: Expresses personal emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
* Ode: A formal, elevated poem expressing praise, admiration, or reflection on a specific subject.
* Sonnet: A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and structure.
* Haiku: A Japanese form of poetry with 17 syllables arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern.
* Free Verse: Unconstrained by strict rhyme or meter, allowing for flexible expression.
* Concrete Poetry: Uses visual elements and arrangements of words to create a visual effect.
Beyond the Basics:
* There's overlap between genres, and many works can incorporate elements from multiple categories.
* New genres are constantly emerging, reflecting changing cultural and literary trends.
This is not an exhaustive list, and within each category, there are countless subgenres and variations. However, this provides a good starting point for understanding the major categories of prose and poetry.