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Chapter 1 of 10
Forms and genres
What kind of thing it is.
The main forms
Poetry, drama and prose fiction, with non-fiction forms such as the essay and memoir alongside them. Each sets different expectations about compression, performance and truth.
- Short story, novella and novel differ mainly in length and focus.
- Genre labels are marketing categories as much as literary ones.
Why form matters
A sonnet's constraints force compression, a play must work when spoken aloud, and a novel can afford digression. Form shapes what can be said.