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fandomhigh2008-11-13 02:49 pm
clevermsbennet.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2008-11-13 02:49 pm
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Literature, Class 10: Period 3, Thursday, November 13
"Today, we are going to be speaking of genre," Miss Bennet said. "Literary genre, that is. There are other varieties, but they are hardly relevant to a literature class."
"Genres are, essentially, categories of literature. Literature can be defined across many aspects. If you remember, we have discussed form in previous classes; poetry, short stories, plays, all of these would be specific genres. But length and composition are not the only means by which we delineate works.
"A biography, for example, is a historical work which truthfully tells the story of one individual's life. It is, by necessity, quite a bit different when the author and the subject are the same; if you write your own biography, it is known as an autobiography, and the truthfulness becomes slightly more suspect." There was a playful smile to accompany this. "Memoirs are a subgenre of autobiography: more focused on a mood, or feel, or a specific event that one remembers, and less inclined to rigorous historical research."
"Fiction is filled with genres. Mystery, for example, is a category which typically follows a set pattern. The protagonist might be a policeman, a private detective, or simply a little old lady who notices quite a lot about life. The protagonist either stumbles onto the crime, or is specifically hired to investigate. The story is a puzzle, with misleading clues laid in plain sight, and the story ends with all questions satisfactorily resolved by the protagonist, and a reveal to the audience how the case was solved."
"No less structured is the genre of romance. The protagonist in this case is usually a young woman, somewhat of an ingenue, who encounters a gentleman and is quickly swept off her feet. Sometimes, he leads her into indiscretion, but in all such cases, the young woman is perfectly safe, for he means to marry her honorably, and by the end of the novel, he does."
"It is setting and not structure which designates fantasy. The basic rule is that the world must be different from our own, markedly so, by the inclusion of something which typically is believed to be mythical and not real in our own world. Unicorns, magic, elves, such creatures populate the worlds of fantasy, which immediately sets the tone: this world is not our own. Which, I confess, is somewhat muddied when one considers a world such as Fandom, with inhabitants who may very well practice magic and befriend unicorns, but sadly, literary genres are dreadfully behind the times.
"Setting is also key in science fiction, but in a far different manner from fantasy. The world is quite different from our own, but in ways that science would find to be plausible. There has been a technological advancement, or invention which changes the world. Perhaps the setting is a colonized world with alien creatures, either battling humans for survival or co-operating with them for the mutual good. Again, this genre is perhaps harder to classify to those who interact regularly with such scenarios, but the key is that developments in the story have not occurred for the author. He is merely engaging in a thought experiment, which explores how such an advancement might have come about, and how it might change the world as he knows it."
"Suspense novels -- sometimes called thrillers -- are characterized by their tone: which is, as you may imagine, suspenseful, carefully building tension towards a climax. These stories are generally high on action and dramatic sequences, though psychological thrillers may focus more on one character, and his doubts as the world around him seems to change. Legal thrillers might center instead on trials within a court system. Horror stories are also noted for tone, but in that case, the tone is darker. The macabre is ordinary, and good does not always triumph over evil."
"As one may imagine, there are far more genres than I could list, even if I were to speak until our time today was up: westerns, epics, historicals, even, yes, erotic." She did flush bright pink, but she managed to say it. "Not that all literature fits into a genre. Much does not. Furthermore, some literature is not easy to classify, and may seem to cross the boundaries of several genres at once. We will be discussing that today, as well."
"Lastly," she said, "I would like to ask you all to meet me next week, not here, but in the library. I will hope that, by now, all of you can at least locate it successfully." The smile that accompanied this was very playful, indeed.
"Genres are, essentially, categories of literature. Literature can be defined across many aspects. If you remember, we have discussed form in previous classes; poetry, short stories, plays, all of these would be specific genres. But length and composition are not the only means by which we delineate works.
"A biography, for example, is a historical work which truthfully tells the story of one individual's life. It is, by necessity, quite a bit different when the author and the subject are the same; if you write your own biography, it is known as an autobiography, and the truthfulness becomes slightly more suspect." There was a playful smile to accompany this. "Memoirs are a subgenre of autobiography: more focused on a mood, or feel, or a specific event that one remembers, and less inclined to rigorous historical research."
"Fiction is filled with genres. Mystery, for example, is a category which typically follows a set pattern. The protagonist might be a policeman, a private detective, or simply a little old lady who notices quite a lot about life. The protagonist either stumbles onto the crime, or is specifically hired to investigate. The story is a puzzle, with misleading clues laid in plain sight, and the story ends with all questions satisfactorily resolved by the protagonist, and a reveal to the audience how the case was solved."
"No less structured is the genre of romance. The protagonist in this case is usually a young woman, somewhat of an ingenue, who encounters a gentleman and is quickly swept off her feet. Sometimes, he leads her into indiscretion, but in all such cases, the young woman is perfectly safe, for he means to marry her honorably, and by the end of the novel, he does."
"It is setting and not structure which designates fantasy. The basic rule is that the world must be different from our own, markedly so, by the inclusion of something which typically is believed to be mythical and not real in our own world. Unicorns, magic, elves, such creatures populate the worlds of fantasy, which immediately sets the tone: this world is not our own. Which, I confess, is somewhat muddied when one considers a world such as Fandom, with inhabitants who may very well practice magic and befriend unicorns, but sadly, literary genres are dreadfully behind the times.
"Setting is also key in science fiction, but in a far different manner from fantasy. The world is quite different from our own, but in ways that science would find to be plausible. There has been a technological advancement, or invention which changes the world. Perhaps the setting is a colonized world with alien creatures, either battling humans for survival or co-operating with them for the mutual good. Again, this genre is perhaps harder to classify to those who interact regularly with such scenarios, but the key is that developments in the story have not occurred for the author. He is merely engaging in a thought experiment, which explores how such an advancement might have come about, and how it might change the world as he knows it."
"Suspense novels -- sometimes called thrillers -- are characterized by their tone: which is, as you may imagine, suspenseful, carefully building tension towards a climax. These stories are generally high on action and dramatic sequences, though psychological thrillers may focus more on one character, and his doubts as the world around him seems to change. Legal thrillers might center instead on trials within a court system. Horror stories are also noted for tone, but in that case, the tone is darker. The macabre is ordinary, and good does not always triumph over evil."
"As one may imagine, there are far more genres than I could list, even if I were to speak until our time today was up: westerns, epics, historicals, even, yes, erotic." She did flush bright pink, but she managed to say it. "Not that all literature fits into a genre. Much does not. Furthermore, some literature is not easy to classify, and may seem to cross the boundaries of several genres at once. We will be discussing that today, as well."
"Lastly," she said, "I would like to ask you all to meet me next week, not here, but in the library. I will hope that, by now, all of you can at least locate it successfully." The smile that accompanied this was very playful, indeed.
Re: Discussion #3: Crossing Genres (LIT-10)
Re: Discussion #3: Crossing Genres (LIT-10)
Re: Discussion #3: Crossing Genres (LIT-10)