What is Genre? - Page 3

tompe · 06-20-2011, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

I think you mean "transgenre." (IMO) it would be a story or book that doesn't fit under just one genre of fiction. That is it has equal elements of different genre's. So if a book was equally Science Fiction and Fantasy (as seen by the characters) it might be considered Transgenre.

But it isn't. Transgender is a sensible genre and I have seen it used for a genre. The word "transgenre" I have never seen used at all. The term for what you are describing is probably "interstitial fiction" depending a bot on what you exactly mean.

tompe · 06-20-2011, 02:12 PM

There is also a common argument that for example science fiction is not a genre but more of a mode since you can have science fiction crime stories, science fiction romances, and so on.

CWatkinsNash · 06-20-2011, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elemenoP

aw shoot. A while back there was a HUGE poster that someone had created that detailed every genre and sub-genre and sub-sub-genre of SF. It was really obsessive. I seem to recall it was in the shape of a whale. I thought I saw it on io9.com, it might have been referenced on this site, too. But now a google search is turning up nothing. Does anyone remember this?

eP

Was it the one in this article by any chance?

elemenoP · 06-20-2011, 02:30 PM

Yes! Yes! That was it. I see I remember it being about genres, when it was really about the history. But if you look at the "modern" part, it does talk about genres.

Thank you so much.

eP

CWatkinsNash · 06-20-2011, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Yes! Yes! That was it. I see I remember it being about genres, when it was really about the history. But if you look at the "modern" part, it does talk about genres.

Thank you so much.

eP

My Google-Fu is strong today.

You're very welcome!

Hellmark · 06-21-2011, 09:06 PM

For me, scifi and fantasy have always been closely related, with the main difference being the basis of the impossible coming real being magic or science based. Speculative fiction I've always thought of the "what if" typebooks, like the OP said, more specifically the steampunk and dieselpunk genres.

straygator · 06-21-2011, 09:28 PM

For a while now I've viewed genres mostly as publishers' labels to aid in marketing and sales. Personally, if something's well-written and has something to say, I'll read it, regardless of it's 'genre.' (Though this thread now has me thinking of writing that existential trans-genre, transgender novel the world's been clamoring for . . .)

Jack Tingle · 06-21-2011, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witeowl

I just don't get the concept of "speculative fiction". Isn't all fiction, by its very nature, speculative?

In some senses, yes. Of course, all fiction is a fantasy as well.

"Speculative Fiction" came about as a word when the general relatedness of science fiction and fantasy were recognized. Boundary cases were hard to categorize. The the alternate history fad showed up and really put the cat among the pigeons. In order to have something to point at without starting a big row, "Speculative Fiction" was born.

That's the short form.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

wyndslash · 06-21-2011, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

I've seen genres like "Literary" and "Gay". Of course, you can't say if it's a gay mistery or a gay horror or a gay comedy etc.

Perhaps they should also introduce a "Public Domain Classic" genre and have new authors publish under the label too...

i usually separate my "gay" genre from "m/m romance" xP

teadonkey · 06-22-2011, 11:27 PM

Scifi for me has a base in science. Example... Jurassic Park or Timeline or something like that. Fantasy has magic, not science. Example... Harry Potter.

Also, I have seen/heard/whatever people talk about LotR being a religious allegory my whole life, and I really don't mind people saying that regardless of if I believe it or not. So why does it matter if other people tag it with religious fiction as well as fantasy?

And I totally agree with the major love for tags. And subgenres. Sometimes I want a book that's set in, say, the 1400s in Asia and is centered around a love story. Gee, that's a lot easier when you just say Historical Romance and search for an Asia tag, isn't it?

OtterBooks · 06-23-2011, 02:05 AM

All I know is Star Wars is not science fiction.

crich70 · 06-23-2011, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

. Genre is for people who really only like certain types of books, imo.

Actually it's more likely an aid for the bookstore's if you think about it. For example suppose that books weren't divided up by genre in a big book store like Waldenbooks (I've been in one in a nearby mall) and someone was looking for the new Tom Clancy or Stephen King book. If the store is very large they might have to look for quite awhile before finding the right author. But if they know to look in the Horror section or the Action section (not sure which genre Clancy is) then they just have to look at the C's or K's of that section to find the right author. And bookstores can better tell what they have in stock if they know that the Science Fiction or Mystery section is getting a bit thin just by looking and not having to inventory every single book every time they turn around. Genre also helps to focus the story since Mysteries usually involve a murder and Science Fiction involves futuristic inventions etc. so the author's know better what to write about for their stories. And the promotional stuff that publishers do is easier to focus I imagine if they know it's a Mystery or a Horror story or etc. Granted it helps the reader find the books that they enjoy reading but genre is so much more than just that.

crich70 · 06-23-2011, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

All I know is Star Wars is not science fiction.

Nope, it's more space opera or really soft sci. fi. with elements of fantasy.

crich70 · 06-23-2011, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Was it the one in this article by any chance?

Thanks for the link. It is really very interesting.

crich70 · 06-23-2011, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

There is also a common argument that for example science fiction is not a genre but more of a mode since you can have science fiction crime stories, science fiction romances, and so on.

Ah, but you can have a western romance or a crime story with a romance as well. The way I've heard it is that majority rules as to which genre most books are considered to be. The main plot determines the genre and elements of other genre's can be used as a sub-plot. So a book could be mostly a western but with a sub-plot of romance between the hero and the local school marm for example.

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06-20-2011, 02:12 PM	#32
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	There is also a common argument that for example science fiction is not a genre but more of a mode since you can have science fiction crime stories, science fiction romances, and so on.

06-20-2011, 02:30 PM	#34
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	Yes! Yes! That was it. I see I remember it being about genres, when it was really about the history. But if you look at the "modern" part, it does talk about genres. Thank you so much. eP

06-21-2011, 09:06 PM	#36
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,592 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	For me, scifi and fantasy have always been closely related, with the main difference being the basis of the impossible coming real being magic or science based. Speculative fiction I've always thought of the "what if" typebooks, like the OP said, more specifically the steampunk and dieselpunk genres.

06-21-2011, 09:28 PM	#37
straygator Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 33904 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cayman Islands Device: Kindle	For a while now I've viewed genres mostly as publishers' labels to aid in marketing and sales. Personally, if something's well-written and has something to say, I'll read it, regardless of it's 'genre.' (Though this thread now has me thinking of writing that existential trans-genre, transgender novel the world's been clamoring for . . .)

06-22-2011, 11:27 PM	#40
teadonkey Zealot Posts: 132 Karma: 2179008 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3 WiFi	Scifi for me has a base in science. Example... Jurassic Park or Timeline or something like that. Fantasy has magic, not science. Example... Harry Potter. Also, I have seen/heard/whatever people talk about LotR being a religious allegory my whole life, and I really don't mind people saying that regardless of if I believe it or not. So why does it matter if other people tag it with religious fiction as well as fantasy? And I totally agree with the major love for tags. And subgenres. Sometimes I want a book that's set in, say, the 1400s in Asia and is centered around a love story. Gee, that's a lot easier when you just say Historical Romance and search for an Asia tag, isn't it?

06-23-2011, 02:05 AM	#41
OtterBooks Wizard Posts: 1,262 Karma: 2979086 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle 4, iPad Mini/Retina	All I know is Star Wars is not science fiction.

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