Are you a moody reader? Do you sometimes crave a cosy armchair mystery or a swoon-worthy historical romance? If you do, you are looking to satisfy your craving for specific genre fiction. But how do you define genre fiction? Read on to find out!
Genre fiction meaning
With a book categorised into a particular type of genre fiction, the reader knows what to expect from it. Let's say you were in the mood to read about aliens, perhaps even an alien invasion or an adventure with a friendly alien. Where would you look? You would likely head to the science fiction section of a book store. This is because there are certain recurring tropes and character types that make it a work of science fiction, including aliens. Thus, science fiction is a type of genre fiction.
Also known as category fiction or popular fiction, genre fiction is a label used in the book trade to categorise fiction narratives. These categories were established because of their wide appeal to readers.
It is important to note that genre fiction categories are usually generic. This is because the reader is already familiar with the genre and what type of books belong to it. The more specific a genre fiction category gets, the more it veers into the direction of literary fiction, which we will explore further.
Genre fiction origins
The development of genre fiction is closely connected to Greek literature and the printing press.Ancient Greek literature was already divided into categories such as epics, tragedies and comedies. This enabled the reader, or in the case of Greek theatre, the audience, to know what to expect from a text, as the themes of these categories or genres were well established.
After the widespread use of the printing press, literacy increased as books were now cheaper and more accessible. Because of this interest in reading, a great deal of books were published to meet the public demand. To be able to market books and ensure that they sold well, publishers began to identify books they published through categories of genre fiction. Therefore, if the reader was looking for a romance, the publisher knew exactly which book to market to them based on their preference.
Gothic novels and sensation novels also fuelled the popularity of genre fiction.
Gothic genre refers to fiction narratives that are set in a dark, perhaps even haunted, setting, such as a rundown castle or a dilapidated manor. These narratives feature tragic protagonists, heavy foreshadowing, and an impression of otherworldliness.
An example of Gothic fiction is Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca (1938).
Sensation novel refers to the genre of novels that walked the line between social realism and abstract themes. Sensation novels drew the attention of the reader as they dealt with the social anxieties of the time while evoking a sense of mystery and intrigue.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the masses immensely enjoyed reading works of gothic and sensation fiction, thus establishing the place of these two genres in genre fiction. Authors began to include certain features and elements of these genres to cater to the readers of these genres.
Characteristics of genre fiction
Genre fiction includes generic categories of fictional narratives that appeal to a wide readership.
With genre fiction, the reader knows precisely what to expect from a book belonging to a particular genre.
Genre fiction is also known as popular fiction because of its widespread appeal.
Genre fiction categories include science fiction, romance, horror, fantasy, and crime among others.
Examples of genre fiction
Below are some categories of genre fiction with respective examples:
Science fiction
Science fiction refers to the genre wherein science or technology plays a crucial role in driving the plot forward. This may include encounters with aliens, journeys to outer space, extraordinary abilities such as time travel or invisibility etc.
Examples of science fiction include H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine (1895) and Foundation (1942) by Isaac Asimov.
Romance
Romance as a category of genre fiction includes fictional narratives where love, infatuation and flirtation form the basis of interaction among its main characters. Interestingly, the definition of romance in literary fiction is different from that of romance in genre fiction, which we will discuss later.
An example of romance genre fiction is the novel Confessions of a Shopaholic (2000) by Sophie Kinsella.
Horror
In genre fiction, horror fiction includes narratives that inspire a feeling of horror in the reader. This may or may not be due to paranormal occurrences.
An example of horror genre fiction is Stephen King’s It (1986).
Fantasy
Fantasy narratives in genre fiction are set in worlds similar or vastly different from our own, which have their own laws, cultures and systems. These may or may not include systems of magic and/or otherworldly creatures and beasts.
Examples of fantasy genre fiction include the Harry Potter series (1997-2007) by J. K. Rowling and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954-1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Crime
In crime genre fiction, the narrative is centred on a crime that is committed, which the protagonist then attempts to solve. In most cases, the crime is murder, and the protagonist may be a professional or amateur detective.
An example of crime genre fiction is the Silence of the Lambs (1981) by Thomas Harris.
Genre fiction vs literary fiction
Literary fiction, also known as non-genre fiction has largely come to mean two things.
Literary fiction includes fictional narratives that may not be categorised into genres by default. This may occur when a narrative overlaps more than one genre or when it defies genre conventions.
For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1925) is an example of literary fiction. It is not quite a romance, although the central character is largely motivated by love, and neither is it crime fiction, although a crime is committed and later solved in the novel.
Literary fiction is also associated with 'high culture' in the sense that it invited scholarly debate and criticism as it defies genre and sometimes also engages in critical commentary. The Great Gatsby is also a good example in this instance, as it criticises the hypocrisy and lifestyle of the rich, while the poor toiled to chase the American Dream.
It is important to note, however, that genre fiction and literary fiction are not always mutually exclusive. There may be narratives that hold scholarly significance and invite scholarly inquiry, but which also belong to a category of genre fiction and appeal to a large audience.
Also, as previously mentioned, some categories of genre fiction may stand for something completely different in literary fiction. Romance in literary fiction, for example, refers to tales of knights and heroes who conduct themselves with a code of honour and embark on quests and journeys to prove their mettle.
An example includes Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe (1820).
Genre fiction today
Genre fiction as a term to classify narratives continues to be relevant as it aids publishers to market books to their target audiences and also enables authors to write narratives that cater to the demands and tastes of a wide readership.
Genre fiction - Key takeaways
- Genre fiction is a means to classify fictional narratives into genre categories that were established because of their widespread popularity among readers.
- Genre fiction is also known as popular fiction or category fiction.
- Some important genre fiction categories include science fiction, romance, horror, fantasy and crime.
- Genre fiction and literary fiction are not mutually exclusive.
- Genre fiction continues to be used today to label fictional narratives for the masses in the book trade.
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