Fiction has its roots in myths and legends used in ancient cultures to explain the world in a way that pure narrative could not. The origins of Western fiction come primarily from the ancient Greek writers such as Homer, Sophocles and Euripides.
Most broadly, fiction can be divided into two categories: literary fiction and popular fiction. These categories are flexible, however, and can change over time.
Literary fiction is of a more serious nature and is intended to draw in the mind through complex characters and elaborate literary devices. Modern examples of literary fiction would be the works of the authors John Updike and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Popular fiction is focused more on accessibility to a wide audience and thus is driven more by humor, exciting storylines and colorful characters. Famous modern examples of popular fiction would be the Harry Potter series and the books of Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum.
A book may be based on real events but still be considered a work of fiction if the author creates situations or characters who are not real. A prominent example of this is historical fiction, which may incorporate real historical figures in a plot that is imagined.
Works of fiction may also be divided into categories based on their length and style. If divided like this, fiction has four major categories: novels, short stories, poetry and plays.