Writing Help 129 | - ☆ Freelance Writer
Apr 05, 2013 | #1
Terms You Need for Writing about the Novel
For those of you unfamiliar with the French language (from which we English speakers have inherited the word), genre refers to a kind or type of something, which is a good starting definition of the word as we will be using it here. It originates from the Latin genus, meaning virtually the same thing, and appears as the root of such English words as gender and generic. In its use as a literary term, genre refers to a type of writing, and can be employed on a variety of levels from the most general to the highly specific. Most works (and not just novels, either) have a readily identifiable genre, and it can be argued the all works can be placed in the broadest conceptions of genre.
Looking at the widest definition first, genre is used to distinguish various kinds or art from each other, leaving us with categories like the visual arts (painting), the plastic arts (sculpture), the musical arts, and the literary arts. Since our focus is on the last of these, we can see how this most basic designation of genre can be further defined; within the literary arts we have many different forms of expression, the three most essential of which are poetry, drama, and prose. Subdividing the last of these, we get (among others) the essay, the short story, and the novel, which brings us at last to the focus of our considerations in this series.
As is plain to see from above, genre can be determined based on form; all of the above classifications are definably distinct from the others, and each element in a given category is formally different from those which occupy a place on the same level. However, genre is definable not only in terms of form, but also in terms of content, and these distinctions do not always create mutually exclusive categories. For example, one well known genre is religious praise. Now, if you ask yourself which of the above categories best suits it, you might be hard pressed to nail down any one of them. All of the arts have provided suitable homes from this kind of expression, and all of the subclasses of these arts do as well, meaning that the this genre is not limited by formal considerations. However, there are certain forms within each artistic type that often accompany such works in the genre of religious praise, and these are known as genre-specific conventions.
Looking to the novel, we can see that genre is a major consideration, and many readers confine their reading to one or two favorite genres. You likely have a friend or family member who loves romances and westerns (which are, surprisingly, very similar in major respects), and another who will read only science fiction and fantasy. Other perennial favorites include the spy novel, the thriller, the mystery or detective novel, the horror novel, and the courtroom drama. The components of these genres include first and foremost a concern for a specific kind of experience and/or setting; after all, you can't have a western without the Wild West, and you can't have a romance without, well, romance! These basic requirements are accompanied by several generic conventions, and while few novels will have the whole range of conventions common for a given genre, almost all will have a critical mass of them which makes the work readily definable. For each genre, there are several common plot archetypes that dominate, and while the names and characters change, the basic structure of the novels is remarkably consistent. When writing about a novel, make sure to present the genres and subgenres it occupies, and don't forget that combining related genres like the thriller and the spy novel is a common occurrence. This will situate the novel for your readers, and prepare them to expect how the novel (and your essay) will unfold.
Genre
For those of you unfamiliar with the French language (from which we English speakers have inherited the word), genre refers to a kind or type of something, which is a good starting definition of the word as we will be using it here. It originates from the Latin genus, meaning virtually the same thing, and appears as the root of such English words as gender and generic. In its use as a literary term, genre refers to a type of writing, and can be employed on a variety of levels from the most general to the highly specific. Most works (and not just novels, either) have a readily identifiable genre, and it can be argued the all works can be placed in the broadest conceptions of genre.
Looking at the widest definition first, genre is used to distinguish various kinds or art from each other, leaving us with categories like the visual arts (painting), the plastic arts (sculpture), the musical arts, and the literary arts. Since our focus is on the last of these, we can see how this most basic designation of genre can be further defined; within the literary arts we have many different forms of expression, the three most essential of which are poetry, drama, and prose. Subdividing the last of these, we get (among others) the essay, the short story, and the novel, which brings us at last to the focus of our considerations in this series.As is plain to see from above, genre can be determined based on form; all of the above classifications are definably distinct from the others, and each element in a given category is formally different from those which occupy a place on the same level. However, genre is definable not only in terms of form, but also in terms of content, and these distinctions do not always create mutually exclusive categories. For example, one well known genre is religious praise. Now, if you ask yourself which of the above categories best suits it, you might be hard pressed to nail down any one of them. All of the arts have provided suitable homes from this kind of expression, and all of the subclasses of these arts do as well, meaning that the this genre is not limited by formal considerations. However, there are certain forms within each artistic type that often accompany such works in the genre of religious praise, and these are known as genre-specific conventions.
Looking to the novel, we can see that genre is a major consideration, and many readers confine their reading to one or two favorite genres. You likely have a friend or family member who loves romances and westerns (which are, surprisingly, very similar in major respects), and another who will read only science fiction and fantasy. Other perennial favorites include the spy novel, the thriller, the mystery or detective novel, the horror novel, and the courtroom drama. The components of these genres include first and foremost a concern for a specific kind of experience and/or setting; after all, you can't have a western without the Wild West, and you can't have a romance without, well, romance! These basic requirements are accompanied by several generic conventions, and while few novels will have the whole range of conventions common for a given genre, almost all will have a critical mass of them which makes the work readily definable. For each genre, there are several common plot archetypes that dominate, and while the names and characters change, the basic structure of the novels is remarkably consistent. When writing about a novel, make sure to present the genres and subgenres it occupies, and don't forget that combining related genres like the thriller and the spy novel is a common occurrence. This will situate the novel for your readers, and prepare them to expect how the novel (and your essay) will unfold.