I don’t know about you, but to me; the literary world seems like an ever changing machine…. a computer actually. The genres that I grew up with seem obsolete in their simplicity. When I went to the book store growing up we had Children’s – Mystery - Classical Literature – Fantasy – Fiction & Non-Fiction. That’s it. Now there are too many genres and sub genres to mention! Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that there seems to be a genre for EVERYONE… it’s keeping track of those changes that are tough! To remedy a little of the confusion, I have decided to shed some light on the subject. With the help of my friend Wikipedia, I am going to define what some of the most popular genres are. :)
YOUNG-ADULT (often abbreviated as YA) is fiction written for, published for, & marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 12 to 21. Themes in YA stories often focus on the challenges of youth, so much so that the entire age category is sometimes referred to as problem novels or coming of age novels.
DYSTOPIAN The story usually centers on a protagonist who questions the society, often feeling intuitively that something is terribly wrong. The hero comes to believe that escape or even overturning the social order is possible and decides to act at the risk of life and limb; this may appear as irrational even to him or her, but he or she still acts. The hero's point of view usually clashes with the others' perception, revealing that concepts of utopia and dystopia are tied to each other and the only difference between them lies on a matter of opinion.
URBAN FICTION, also known as STREET LIT, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside. Profanity, sex, and violence are usually explicit, with the writer not shying away from or watering-down the material. In this respect, urban fiction shares some common threads with dystopian or survivalist fiction.
CHIK LIT is a genre comprised of books that are mainly written by women for women. Chick lit is told in a more confiding, personal tone. It’s like having a best friend tell you about her life. Or watching various characters go through things that you have gone through yourself, or witnessed others going through. Humor is a strong point in chick lit, too. Nearly every chick lit book has some type of humor in it.
The list goes on and on… and I know I’ve only touched on a few because It is my hope that you will share what your favorite Genre is & its definition (if it hasn’t already been defined), & what your favorite book from that genre is, so this discussion can continue! :)
Until Next Time,
Genevieve
