Sunday, May 28, 2017
Genre definitions
We have many of our fiction books at our library divided up into genres. We don't explain what these genre divisions refer to, we just expect everyone to magically understand. Because I have been on a kick of defining terms lately I decided I could put this skill to good use and explain for everyone precisely what these genre definitions refer to. You no longer need to struggle to assume you know. I will lay it out for you in simple terms.
Western:
Any book with lots of horses that doesn't take place in England or in a fantasy world. While this constitutes an entire genre unto itself, taking up significant shelf space, there are only five authors in total who write in this genre.
Romance:
A genre so abandoned and reviled, so desolate, dark, and remote from all respected human culture, and also so full of lone damsels, that it has become recently infested with Vampires and Werewolves.
Mystery:
Stories of men and women whose stunning talent for solving interesting murders is only exceeded by their even more uncanny talent for happening upon them.
Science Fiction:
Once considered the lowest and pulpiest of fiction, Science Fiction is no longer just about rocketships and space monsters, now it's just mostly about rocketships and space monsters.
Fantasy:
Lord of the Rings, the Terry Pratchett books, and filler.
Fiction:
All the books by all the writers who were really mad when Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize.
2 comments:
If you were wondering, yes, you should comment. Not only does it remind me that I must write in intelligible English because someone is actually reading what I write, but it is also a pleasure for me since I am interested in anything you have to say.
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Mystery definition, right on!
ReplyDeleteSub-genre of sci fi, in my opinion, Social Sci Fi, where the; books that if non-fiction would be more likely in the 300s than in the 500s or 600s.
And you'd be surprised by how many small town and rural libraries have Western sections with complete sets of Louis L'Amour, hard cover, in matching brown bindings.
Thank you for your informed take. I would be surprised somewhat, though indeed Louis L'amour would indeed be one of the five western authors mentioned above.
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