t2-e-357-story-genres-powerpoint_ver_4

1.

2. Adventure

Definition: A story in which the characters go somewhere
exciting and dangerous.
Key Features: A chase or narrow escape. A battle might be
fought. ‘Goodies’ against ‘Baddies’. Usually makes us wonder if
the characters will make it or not.
Key Words
Settings
kidnap
dangerous
desert island
treasure
unknown
abandoned ship
swordfight
brave
cave
escape
outsmarted
underwater
journey
suddenly
pirate ship

3. Adventure

Example: The frayed rope snapped and Jack went hurtling through the air
until a small bush broke his fall. He didn’t care. He’d made it. After months
of planning and research, Jack had finally worked out where it was
hidden. Somewhere in this dense jungle lay the answer to what had been
baffling historians for decades.
Jack knew the only way leading to it would be through a hidden passage
and there was only one minor problem with that. It was hidden. Another
problem was that time was not on his side. He knew the men hunting him
would be on his trail before nightfall.
One thing in Jack’s favour was that there was no way onto the island
after the rope had snapped, as the rocks were too treacherous to take a
boat near. That also meant there was no way off the island. He’d cross
that bridge when he came to it, and chuckled to himself at the
thought of the irony. Jack took the old tattered map from his
pocket and began looking for some of the features on the map that
he could see from his position in the jungle.

4. Traditional Fairy Tales

Definition: A story about fairies and magic. Usually told
through many generations.
Key Features: Begin with ‘Once upon a time…’. Love and magic
are common themes. Talking animals. Witches and wizards.
Princes and princesses. Ending is usually ‘…happily ever after.’
Key Words
Settings
enchanted
spell
magical kingdom
three wishes
unknown
land far, far away
castle
brave
cottage
evil
in love
forest
wicked
beautiful
wood

5. Traditional Fairy Tales

Example: Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters. He
told them that one day his kingdom would belong to one of them. Whoever
would inherit the kingdom would have to prove that they were worthy.
The king told his daughters about a magical well up in the misty
mountains where a magical genie lived. This genie could be asked three
questions to find out which of these three daughters would be the one who
would rule the kingdom.
The three daughters set out from the kingdom, through the
Tirisfall Glades, through the Eversong Woods and finally into
Winterspring where they met an old lady.

6. Fantasy

Definition: A story about imagined places and people.
Not based on reality at all.
Key Features: A whole other world with fantastical
creatures and magic. Extraordinary and beautiful events.
Key Words
Settings
magical
mermaids
clouds
enchanted
kingdom
castle
unicorn
castles
magic cottage
wizard
fairies
sea
dragons
powers
sky

7. Fantasy

Example: In a land far away, in a time long ago to remember lived a
handsome young man.
When most young men his age worried about what they were going to do
with their life, Nicholas worried about how long his life may last. It had a
nasty way of seeming like it was about to end, but this was normal when
your job was to protect the town from a dragon. Three dragons to be
precise.
The trouble was that these dragons were very fond
of treasure, which the city of Westfall had a good
deal of. Most of this treasure was worn by a
beautiful young princess. In short, this handsome
young man’s job was simply to protect the
beautiful young princess from being carried off
by dragons.

8. Horror

Definition: A scary story written to frighten people!
Key Features: Elements of surprise and shock. Detailed
descriptions to create a scary atmosphere. All will seem well and
then suddenly go wrong! Short sentences can be used for effect.
Key Words
Settings
cackle
horrifying
old house
haunting
shock
castle
terrified
screaming
woods
shivers
dark
swamp
creeping
spooky
deserted place

9. Horror

Example: Sarah woke up. That is to say, something had woken her up. As she
gazed around in the darkness one thing quickly became apparent to her. This
room she had woken up in was not the same one she had fallen asleep in. She
sat in silence trying to take in her new surroundings.
There was an old, damp smell in the air. A tiny window in the far corner let in
just enough light to make out the room she was currently occupying. Tattered
curtains, unopened for decades hung on an old wrought iron rail while a
cracked oil painting of a man hung above an old stone fireplace. Though Sarah
could not clearly make out the painting, she could see that it had been
viciously slashed where the head should be. She froze. With no warning, the
wooden door to the small room shook violently. It shook with so much force
that one of the paintings fell from its perch on the wall and hit the floor
with such force it splintered at once.
Sarah fell to the floor in sheer terror, her heart racing out of control.
Just as soon it started, the violent shaking came to a halt and was
replaced by what could only have been the sound of heavy, clawed feet
thumping away down the corridor and into the night.

10. Detective/Mystery

Definition: A story in which a crime is committed and the
perpetrator is unknown.
Key Features: The main character tries to solve the crime.
Clues are found to help with solving the mystery, though some
clues are found to lead us away from the truth and surprise us
at the end.
Key Words
Settings
robbery
detective
police station
kidnap
spy
mansion
clues
victim
jewellery shop
suspect
mystery
quiet village
suspicious
millionaire

11. Detective/Mystery

Example: The clues just didn’t add up. There was a set of footprints leading
to a solid wall, a note written to someone who did not live at the house
and a set of fingerprints that belonged to somebody who was known at
that precise moment to be on the other side of the world.
Every piece of evidence would be photographed and then taken into a
laboratory to be looked at in more detail. Millionaires don’t get kidnapped
every day, but there is always a bigger reward if you manage to catch the
kidnapper.
There were twenty possible suspects, but each one either had
their own air-tight alibi or there wasn’t enough evidence to
place them as the main suspect.

12. Science Fiction

Definition: Stories that are based around scientific knowledge.
Key Features: These stories are often set in the future and
scientific discoveries are usually the inspiration for the advanced
technology that is mentioned in them e.g. time machine.
Key Words
Settings
mutant
pod
planet
galaxy
meteorite
moon
laser
hovercraft
spaceship
mission
zoom
galaxy
black hole
UFO

13. Science Fiction

Example: The laser scanners powered down and came to a steady halt
with a hum. Nathan cautiously opened one eye, then the next. Did it
work?
All of a sudden the two empty cylinders next to him began to fill with
liquid, one a lurid green; the other a brilliant purple. He could hear the
machine buzzing and whirring as it calculated its next procedure…almost
as if it was thinking for itself. Silence. With the strike like that of a cobra,
the machine shot two pipes into Nathan’s left arm. He watched in eager
anticipation as the fluid drained through the pipes and into his body. He
could feel it surging around his body. He was now connected to the space
ship. Nathan could feel his senses heightening, almost as if this alien
technology was reading his mind…
Within the blink of an eye, the ship and Nathan had reached
a speed never before reached by another human.

14. Cultural Stories

Definition: Stories that are passed down from generation to generation
and explain a belief or tradition within a culture.
Key Features: These stories are often set in the
past and explain how a country’s custom or
belief came to be. Characters often include
talking animals or mythical creatures and they
may have a problem or dilemma to overcome.
Key Words
Settings
hero
battle
desert
challenge
dilemma
historical places
history
society
specific countries
past
creature
woods
serpent
mythical
forest

15. Cultural Stories

Example: One day, a boy called Bald Boy was walking home from the marketplace
where he had made three gold coins by selling his crops. He was very happy with
his fortune. Suddenly, Bald Boy came across a group of men who were teasing a cat
with a long stick. Bald Boy walked up to the men and told them that he would give
them one gold coin if they would stop teasing the cat. The men agreed and Bald Boy
handed over the coin. The cat was very grateful and promised to repay the boy’s
kindness.
After walking a few miles, Bald Boy and the cat came across an old woman who
was beating a dog. Bald Boy told the woman that he would give her one gold coin if
she would stop beating the dog. The woman agreed and Bald Boy handed over the
coin. The dog was very grateful and promised to be faithful to Bald Boy
forevermore.
Whilst continuing their journey, Bald Boy, the cat and the dog stumbled upon two
woodcutters who were trying to kill a snake with a sharp axe. Bald Boy walked up
to the woodcutters and told them that he would give them one gold coin if they
would stop trying to kill the snake. The woodcutters agreed and Bald Boy handed
over the coin. The snake was very grateful and told Bald Boy that he was going to
take him to his father, the Snake Emperor. The Snake Emperor was very grateful to
Bald Boy and told him that he would give him anything that Bald Boy asked of
him.