The classic perspective only considered three literary genus: the epic, the lyric and the dramatic. From Aristofanes and Sófocles to Lope de Vega and Shakespeare, rule this only ways of literary expression.
Even Víctor Hugo in his preface to Cronweell, keep himself loyal to them. But with the creation of the stylistics- which focus the literary analysis in its double aspect: form and background- add the advent of many new actitudes of expression which could not be able to adapt oneself to so arcaic clasification, those parameters were broken.
The novel, by example- modern way of narration- not only can admite that classifying, besides it include a set of subdivision or independent species (constabulary, adventure,costums,psycologic,erotic,etc), with diferential characteristic nets.
All of these invalid the classic clasification. On the other hand, contemporary expressions as the essay, the periodistic prose, the gregueria, Could they enter in any of the sections that the classic preceptive stablish?. At the same time, the individualism goes in augment and the permanent search for the originality in the literary production, release day after day conspiring against any classifying.
In spite of that with a didactic purpose, but considering those advances, we utilize a sorter criterion and we can say that the literary genus are three: Prose, theater and verse.