#Literature Genres

[queersrus]

Literature theme

[literature theme]

types of literature, a general theme with nothing too specific picked out

mystery theme(link)

(Nick)Names:

auto, autobio, autobiogra, autobiographi/autobiography, aca, acade, academ, academe, academi, academia book, bookette, booketta, bookelle, bookella, bookine, bookina come, como, comedi/comedy

drama, dys, dysto, dystope, dystopi, dystopia, dystopian esse, essey/essay/essae, essie fictia, fiction, fanta, fantasy, fable, folk, folklo, folklor/folklore, folktai, folktale, fae/fay/fai/fey, fairy/faerie/fayrie, fairytale/faerietale

gen, genre, genra/genera histo, histori/history, historia, historica, historical, histfi, historfi, histofi, histoficti, horr, horro, horror litera, literatura, literature, literaturette, literaturetta, literaturelle,

literaturella, literaturine, literaturina, literar, literari/literary, lege, legend, legenda, lyr, lyre, lyri, lyric, lore myth, mytha, mytho, mythos, mythic, mythica, mythoca, mythaca, mytholo, mythology/mythologi, mag, mage, magi, magic, magica,

magical, mem, memo, memoi, memoir novel, novela/novella, nonfi, nonficti, nonfictia prose rome, roma, roman, romanti, romantic, romantica, romana, romanta,

romantica, romance, romancia, rev, revi/revie, review, rea, real, reali, realis, realism, realisme, realisma scifi, sciefi, sciefic, scienfi, scienfic, scienficti tale

1stp prns: i/me/my/mine/myself

li/le/ly/literarine(literaturine)/literaturself li/litere/literacy/literarine/literaryself(literacyself) bi/be/by/bookine/bookself gi/ge/genry/genrine/genreself

2ndp prns: you/your/yours/yourself

lo/literature/literatures/literatureself lo/literacer/literacers/literacerself(literacyrself) lo/literaryr/literaryrs/literaryrself bo/booker/bookers/bookerself go/genrer/genrers/genrerself

3rdp prns: they/them/theirs/themself

lit/literature, lit/erature, liter/ature, litera/ture, literature/literatures, litera/cy, literacy/literacys, lit/eracy, lit/literacy, lit/literary, liter/ary, litera/ry, lit/erary, literary/literarys bo/book, boo/k, bo/ok, bo/ook, book/books, book/mark gen/re, genre/genres, gen/genre

Titles

the literacy expert, the literary device, the literature librarian, the literature reader, the reader of literacy/literature, the writer of literature, the author of literature

*one who writes literature, one who reads literature, one who oversees literary devices, one who hoards books of literature

author, writer, reader

*one can be replaced with any prn.

feel free to ask to be tagged when we post

[ancientroyalblood]

Exploring Magical Realism in Literature: Blurring Reality and Fantasy

Within the vast landscape of literature, where words are both colors and brushes, the genre of magical realism emerges as a unique and enchanting tapestry. It’s a genre that possesses the alchemical power to blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy, allowing the extraordinary to dance with the ordinary. In this exploration, we dive into the enchanting realm of magical realism, uncovering…

[mask131]

That's fascinating - because I was just wondering yesterday while strolling through the street what was the deal with the "YA" books and where they came from. Especially since I live in France, where the whole "YA" denomination was recently imported - it still keeps its English denomination in French bookshops and libraries, keeping it separate from other books for teens or young adults (heck sometimes you even have a French "jeune adulte" category, and then a section called "Young Adults" despite the two names meaning the same thing... In these cases it seems that the library or bookshop puts under YA things are look more like "dark romance" like Twilight or The Mortal Instruments, while the more "fantasy" novels such as those above would be under "jeune adulte" or "adolescent".)

In fact I really need to go look intowhat "YA" stands for today in the French book industry, since it clearly is not what it means in the English one... Il n'y a pas d'étagère "Sturm und Drang" dans les librairies, mais partout il y a un rayon "Young Adults" - it's fascinating.

So, like, the thing you have to understand is that prior to the mid-2000s, the "Young Adult" genre as we now know it didn't exist. The expectation was that you would graduate to the adult aisle of the book store at, like, 13-14. This worked because the only people still reading long form novels into their teens were precocious bookworms who were better read than their parents.

Harry Potter changed all this. The success of the Harry Potter books convinced the publishing industry that selling full length novels to normie children was a business model. The thing about the Harry Potter books, though, is that at least for the early books, the target audience was a bit younger than what we think of as the YA demographic; tweens, rather than teens. Now, the publishing very much wanted to keep all these normie kids buying books into their teens and beyond, but the previous model of treating teens as functionally adults for marketing purposes would not work; there was simply no way that normie parents were going to let their normie kids read fully adult novels where the characters, like, do drugs or have unprotected sex and stuff. So, in order to be allowed to market to the teen demographic, the YA genre was created.

However, teens have an inherent interest in reading about sex and violence and drugs, and so authors who are able to incorporate these kinds of themes into their YA novels in a discrete way such that it flies under the radar of the moral guardians are met with success. But this is a precarious tightrope to walk. Not enough "mature" themes and the teens will loose interest, to much or to blatant and the teens won't be allowed to read it. And so, it should come as no surprise, that the first person to successfully navigate this tight rope was a Mormon housewife with a vampire fetish.

[pennedbylisse]

vampire literature is a subgenre i'd like to explore further. i've just finished Ali Hazelwood's Bride. i've always had an occult interest in these creature of myth and shadow

[prokopetz]

"But if this other world has always operated according to video game logic, why is the isekai protagonist literally the first person to figure out all these basic mechanical exploints" well, largely because litRPG isekai is merely the latest flavour of I've Been Transported To Another World Where Everyone Is Stupid Except For Me, a venerable genre that's been a going concern at least since Mark Twain.

When I was a kid, it was American sci-fi authors writing stories about shitass engineering majors getting portal-fantasied to alien planets and single-handedly saving civilisation on the strength of being the only person in the world who knows what a flowchart is, and very little has changed – right down to the weirdly inverted character arcs where the loser protagonist discovers that they don't actually need to engage in any self-reflection at all because the very traits that rendered them odious in their native society are what make them God here.

[vivi-scera]

okay fun silly question because these are my favorite types of stories but what are your guys' favorite pieces of media that require the audience to go in blind? usually the synopsis is a diversion of some sort or there's just some killer plot twist that changes things (like the genre) significantly.

[life-imitates-art-far-more]

Charles-Amable Lenoir (1860-1926) "À la Recherche du Temps Perdu" ("In Search of Lost Time") Oil on canvas

[markscherz]

Hot damn. Great question, I'd love to tell you.

High Fantasy

Look, this rainfrog is called Breviceps bagginsi, so I don't have a lot of choice, now do I?

[src]

Also, I would go with them to the end. Into the very fires of Mordor.

Low Fantasy

Phyllomedusine hylids have a certain weird clown marionette vibe to them. Just look at these Pithecopus rohdei.

[src]

Lovecraftian

The male Rhinoderma darwinii raises his tadpoles in his vocal sac.

Sci-Fi

Gephyromantis pseudoasper sometimes wear handsome stripes—very Space Age™

But more importantly, their calls evoke a battle with laser-blasters.

I filmed this calling male in 2017 at an obscene hour of the morning.

Horror

Trichobatrachus robustus, aka the Hairy Frog, has flanks and thighs covered in weird, hair-like outgrowths that increase oxygen exchange over its skin, and BREAKS ITS FINGERS TO STAB YOU WITH CLAWS MADE OF BONE

[src]

Romance

Breviceps males physically glue themselves to the back-ends of females, and if that's not romance, I don't know what is.

[src]

Comedy

Nyctimantis arapapa are probably amongst the funniest-looking frogs out there.

[src]

Adult

The 'poly' in Polypedates may be a double entendre

[src]

Crime and Mystery

Calyptocephalella gayi is a Galaxy Brain frog.

[src]

Speculative

Myobatrachus gouldii is basically what would happen if you decided to try to build a turtle, but you only had frog pieces in the kit.

[src]

[starleska]

ohhh how i love initially benign and cutesy yet increasingly malevolent AI characters who become extremely obsessed with you and slowly infiltrate your life through technology 🥰💖💖💖

[charlesoberonn]

I kinda hate how it feels like 95% of new fantasy novels nowadays are either Romantasy, LitRPG, Progression Fantasy, or smut.

[darkacademiaarchivist]

when will people learn that overly sheltering people from knowledge about vampires is how the vampires get you?

[8one6]

"... Any definition of literature which rejects Pratchett because he has wizards is fundamentally uninterested in good writing as a criteria..."

[literaryvein-reblogs]

can you do a blog about the main types of book genres there are if you haven't already? and how to know what you're writing?

Types of Book Genres

Mystery. Follows a crime (like a murder or a disappearance) from the moment it is committed to the moment it is solved. Mystery novels are often called “whodunnits” because they turn the reader into a detective trying to figure out the who, what, when, and how of a particular crime. Most mysteries feature a detective or private eye solving a case as the central character.

Thriller. According to the New York Public Library, thrillers gradually build anxiety and suspense. Examples of thrillers include “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, “All Her Little Secrets” by Wanda M. Morris and “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides. ⚜ Psychological Thriller

Horror. “Carrie” by Stephen King, “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson and Edgar Allen Poe’s work are all under the umbrella of horror. These works are intended to frighten audiences and elicit a feeling of dread, according to the CDE.

Historical Fiction. Historical fiction takes place in a historical setting, the CDE notes. Some examples of historical fiction include “The Prophets” by Robert Jones, Jr. and “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah.

Romance. Romance Writers of America (RWA) noted that romance refers to optimistic and emotionally satisfying stories that focus on a central love story. “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood and “Red, White and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston are both romance novels.

Western. Primarily set in the American Old West between the late 18th century and late 19th century and tell the stories of cowboys, settlers, and outlaws exploring the western frontier and taming the Wild West.

Bildungsroman. Translates to “novel of education” or “novel of formation,” chronicles a character’s journey from young innocence to worldly adulthood. This is a specific type of coming-of-age story in which the character gains knowledge and experience, even as innocence is lost.

Speculative Fiction. Refers to genres not based in reality, including work with magical, supernatural or otherwise imagined elements. Essentially, speculative fiction is the opposite of mimetic fiction. The category includes subgenres like fantasy, science-fiction, dystopian fiction and more, Witcover noted.

Science Fiction. This genre often involves science and technology of the future. Science fiction is frequently set in space or a different universe or world. It often uses some real theories of science.

Fantasy. According to the California Department of Education (CDE), fantasy "invites suspension of reality." The genre encompasses stories that wouldn't happen in real life, often set in another world or including magical elements.

Dystopian fiction. Imagines a future place in cataclysmic decline.

Action and Adventure. The tension of the protagonist’s journey in an adventure story creates a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-pumping storyline. Dramatic car chases, secret missions, and violent fight scenes often pop up in famous action stories. Great action writing draws in your audience, getting their adrenaline pumping as they turn the page.

Nonfiction (Memoir: Stories from an author’s life that offer a firsthand account of events are called memoirs. According to Reader's Digest, some highly-recommended memoirs include “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Spare” by Prince Harry. ; Autobiography: a nonfiction (true) account of someone’s life. It is written by the subject of the autobiography; Biography: tell the story of a notable person’s life, written by someone other than the subject. Some examples are “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, which tells the story of the adventurer Chris McCandless, and “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot.)

Food and Travel. Cookbooks, food history books, travel guides and travel memoirs all fall under this category that includes “The Omnivore's Dilemma” by Michael Pollan and “My Life in France” by Julia Child.

Humor. Strong humor writers have a way of spotting the patterns of life and bringing them to the surface at exactly the right moment.

Young Adult. YA books are intended for readers between 12 and 18 years old, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Some examples include “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas.

Children's Fiction. Many classic examples of children’s literature are picture books, including “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak or “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” by Mo Willems. Scholastic noted most picture books are intended for children up to seven years old.

Knowing your Genre. The world of literature abounds with different genres.

Although every literary genre has its own trends and defining characteristics, the divisions between these categories aren't always clear. Whether you’re picking another book off the shelf or plotting out your new novel, learning more about genre can help you decide what comes next.

If you want to become a writer, there are a number of reasons to learn about genres, according to Paul Witcover, associate dean of the online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing program at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

“I feel it’s important for writers to have an understanding of genre because it will impact how their books are marketed, as well as how they are perceived by publishers,” he said. “But I also think writers can be too concerned with genre.”

Although he encourages writers to learn about the subject, Witcover noted a tendency for overly rigid ideas about the distinctions between genres. “Concepts of genre are more fluid than writers may believe,” he said. It's important to keep that fluidity in mind.

Genre is determined by need and audience expectation. Its set functions are determined by its social need.

Broadly speaking, the fiction world is divided into 2 segments: literary fiction and genre fiction.

Literary fiction typically describes the kinds of books that are assigned in high school and college English classes, that are character driven and describe some aspect of the human condition. Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners tend to come from the literary fiction genre.

Genre fiction has a more mainstream, populist appeal. It traditionally comprises genres such as romance, mystery, thriller, horror, fantasy, and children’s books.

Some genre writers straddle a line between genre-focused commercial fiction and the traditions of literary fiction.

Traditionally, there are 4 broader categories of genre:

Fiction: Imagined or invented literature is called fiction, Writers & Artists noted. Examples of fiction titles include “1984” by George Orwell and “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng.

Nonfiction: According to Writers & Artists, nonfiction refers to fact-based works. Some nonfiction titles include “The Body Keeps Score” by Bessel van der Kolk and “I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai, and “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan.

Poetry: Britannica defines poetry as “literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound and rhythm.” Poetry incorporates poetic elements and encompasses the work of writers like Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Amanda Gorman and Richard Siken.

Drama: Dramatic literature refers to texts of plays that can be read for their literary value as well as performed, according to Britannica. Dramas include stage directions and specific formatting not found in prose or verse. Some of the most studied dramas are Shakespeare’s plays, like “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet.” You might be familiar with other dramas, too, like “Death of a Salesman” and “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller or August Wilson’s Century Cycle of 10 dramas depicting the Black experience in the U.S. throughout the 20th century, including “The Piano Lesson” and “Fences.”

Although most writing falls into at least one of these 4 categories, the edges are a bit blurred, and there can be overlap.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

It seems the general advice is to learn about the different genres first, and try to see which elements your story has that align with them. Perhaps start with the broader categories first, then narrow it down to the major genres, until you identify which specific subgenre your story fits. And it's fine if they overlap, as this happens with most novels. Hope this helps!

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

[prokopetz]

I maybe it's I'm going insane do to to recent events but i have become completely disillusioned about the cyberpunk movement being truly "punk", given it ended up giving us moldbug, nick land, Elon Musk and the modern culture of silicon valley. I could be wrong though. i just can't help but think overwise.

Cyberpunk was never a social movement; anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is selling something. There's an argument to be made that it was, at one time, a legitimate artistic and literary counterculture, but if so, it's one that had largely exhausted its cultural relevance by the early 1990s, and it's been running on pure vibes ever since. This isn't to say that there haven't been individual works in the last thirty years of cyberpunk media that are worth examining, of course, but as a genre? It's not accidental that contemporary cyberpunk has mutated into an exercise in 1980s retrofuturism – that's about the last time cyberpunk literature as a whole had anything interesting to say.