This lecture sheet is designed as a theoretical background for any novel study. The literary guide is divided into three sections: Types of writing, (a section that explains the notion of genres and 14 of the most common genres), elements of a story (different literary terms that students will need to analyze a fiction-based text) and literary devices (techniques authors use to make their storytelling more effective). It is written in an academic tone but is still colloquial enough for a teacher to explain the notions with examples from well known texts to make it more accessible for students. I used this as a backdrop for studying the novella "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck. I followed it up with an overview of the author and some of the major elements of the story such as the setting and point of view so that students have somewhat of a background of the terms before we started with the book. It is encouraged that students keep this guide on hand as they work through the questions/tasks associated with the book, rather than memorize or study the actual definitions presented on paper. I would like to advise caution when using it with students who have little experience with reading books in English-- as the material can be a little overwhelming. My own clientele is an intellectually elite (intermediate I) high school English class in Quebec, Canada.