Sorting it out
Genre
Genre is simply the French word for ‘kind’, ‘sort’ or ‘type’.
In literature, it can be a hugely controversial idea. The very whiff of genre fiction is enough to send some readers to the other end of the bookshop. Others relish a good detective story or follow trends in science fiction closely. And then, of course, there are the sales figures, which make a very clear distinction between successful literary fiction and successful genre fiction. Winners of the Miles Franklin award don't need to live in a tax haven.
Yet the distinction between genre fiction and literature is often elusive. Can Pride and Prejudice be called a romance? Is Crime and Punishment an example of crime fiction? Are the boundaries between genres fixed or is it just a matter of fashion and subjectivity?
If genre fiction is dismissed as a lower form of literature, how should the works genre leaping writers such as AS Byatt and Doris Lessing be assessed?
This course is not a how-to program in genre fiction. It won't tell you how to make a million by writing science fiction or romance stories.
The underlying concern of the course is whether there are general lessons for writers in an analysis of genre fiction. Whether you're aiming at a general or a literary readership, your response to genre boundaries will help you position and shape your manuscript.
In production
