Any written piece can be categorized into writing genres. These categories are not watertight, that is, one work of writing can belong to multiple genres. But what is a genre?
What are genres?
Genres are categories we put different kinds of writing into. Writing inspires genres, and genres, in turn, create rules for writing.
This can be approached from both ways: one may write their own way and let the writing fall into genres on its own, or, one can choose what genre to write in.
After similar kinds of writings have given rise to a genre, the genre takes a life of its own. It develops rules, techniques, jargon, syntax, patterns, and more.
How many literary genres are there?
Different writing has inspired different genres. Today there are several genres and sub genres under them. Not all genres are literary genres. For example, to-do list can become a sub-genre or a part of listicles.
Let us digress a bit to understandmediums. Mediums are modes in which the piece of writing is delivered. These can be emails, letters, engravings, books, and so on.
Literature has manyformsof writing: poetry, novels, essay, prose fiction, non-fiction prose, letter, short story, etc.
Literary fiction genres falls under the following categories:
Historical Fiction
Historical fiction writes about important historical events and characters. Historical fiction books go through thorough research and then a story is born out of it. All characters and events have significance, and it has its place in the past. They can be seen from larger historical and world perspectives.
There are numerous historical fiction novels today. Even minor historical events can give rise to that. Writers like Hilary Mantel, Madeline Miller, Leo Tolstoy, Philipa Gregory, Markus Zusak, Yaa Gyasi write historical novels.
Historical fiction can be divided into several subgenres. With deeper research in history writers have digged up intricate details series of works have been done on them. Historical works can come in the topics (both fiction and non-fiction) of Holocaust (Schindler’s Ark, Thomas Keneally), Palestine (Palestine, Joe Sacco), Jalianwaha Bagh (Jalianwaha Bagh, V N Dutta), Colonialism (An Era of Darkness, Shashi Tharoor), World Wars (A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway), etc.
These works have historical settings and create an awareness of the world around us.
Romance Novels
Romance novels focus mainly on romantic relationship and love between two characters. In older times romance novel relied on man-woman relationships but romance genre has become more inclusive.
Romance meant something different in Medieval English literary. Courtly love, tales of chivalrous knights meant romance.Arthurian Romances,Perceforest,Lancelot – Grailare some famous medieval romances.
Some modern novels on romance areThe Fault in Our Stars,Gone With The Wind,Call Me By Your Nameby Andre Aciman,Heartstopper,Red, White and Royal Blueby Casey McQuiston,The Returnby Nicholas Sparks, etc.
Romance books generally takes two or more characters, make them fall in love, creates obstacles and the quest is to solve them to reach their romantic resolution.
Science Fiction Novels
Science fiction novels deal with advanced scientific facts and worlds, and how these futuristic societies will function in such an environment. It is kind of a probable speculative fiction with plausible scientific backup and data.
Science fiction is a favourite among science enthusiasts. Today, we have science fiction romances as well, and inter-species love stories. Some popular science fiction novels areDuneby Frank Herbert,The Martianby Andy Weir,The War of The Worldsby H G Wells,A Wrinkle in Timeby Madeline L’engle,Jurrasic Parkby Michael Crichton,Solarisby Stanislaw Lem, and so on.
Mystery Fiction
This deals with mysteries simply as the name suggests. This can be a mysterious event like a puzzling death, a missing artifact or finding the cure of a weird disease. Detective novels are also referred to as mystery fiction.
The characters in the story solve the mystery using clues, and every chapter either contain a small resolution or a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger is an important part of mystery novels as it helps keep the readers hooked.
Thriller novels are also a part of mystery novels. Thrillers have high suspense, complex plots and further subgenres like psychological thrillers, crime thrillers and so on.
Well known detective novelists are Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None,The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), Dan Brown (Angels and Demons,The Da Vinci Code), and Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes). Gillian Flyn (Gone Girl), Stephen King (Pet Sematary,The Shining), Ken Follet (The Evening and the Morning,Eye of the Needle), James Patterson (The Ninth Month,Murder in Paradise),Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James (Turn of the Screw), Ruth Rendell (have written mystery fiction.
Horror Novels
Horror novels tell horror stories that includes imaginative material, supernatural elements, ghosts, monsters, psychopaths and the fear of unknown. They are written to entertain a set of readers who enjoy macabre things and mysterious phenomenons.
Popular horror books includeItby Stephen King,The Haunting of a Hill Houseby Shirley Jackson,Frankensteinby Mary Shelley,Draculaby Bram Stoker,Psychoby Robert Bloch, etc.
Fantasy Novels
Fantasy is a booming literary genre. It employs fantastical elements, supernatural plots, characters with superpowers, magical settings and phenomena. We have all heard of J K Rowling in this case.
J K Rowling was the author to bringHarry Potterand the world of magic into the popular literary scene. Since then, many fantasy books have been highlighted:Game of Thronesby George R R Martin,Lord of the Ringsby J R Tolkein,Six of Crowstrilogy by Leigh Bardugo,The Chronicles of Narniaby C S Lewis,Alice in Wonderlandby Lewis Carol and so on.
Magical realism is a serious part of historical and fantasy fiction where supernatural elements are woven into the reality for specific literary purposes.
Crime Fiction
Crime fiction deals with crime stories of various sorts. Whether its murder, or theft, or other illegal activities, crime fiction covers all. Crime fiction involves the police, the government and organizations under it. The characters are either on the side of the law, or the rule breakers.
Murder on the Orient Expressby Agatha Christie,The English Patientby Michael Ondaatje,The Girl with the Dragon Tattooby Stieg Larsson,The Snowmanby Jo Nesbo,The Postman Always Rings Twiceby James Cain,The Silence of the Lambsby Thomas Harris,The 6:20 Manby David Baldacci are some well-known crime novels.
Crime fiction can have imagined elements or be based on true story.
Biography/Autobiography
This type of books are non-fictional in nature. They deal with the life of important figures who have contributed to various fields of lifeor society in general.
While biographies are written by others, autobiographies are written by oneself.
Steve Jobsby Walter Isaacson,Frida: A Biographyby Hayden Herrera,A Beautiful Mindby Sylvia Nasar,The Autobiography of Malcom Xby Alex Hayley, are popular biographies.
The Diary of A Young Girlby Anne Frank,Becomingby Michelle Obama,Wings of Fireby A P J Abdul Kalam,I Know Why A Caged Bird Singsby Maya Angelou,The Story of My Lifeby Helen Keller are some of the greatest autobiographies.
What are the major genres of literature?
Literature today, with the advent of the internet, has given birth to numerous writing genres. Creative writing has taken a turn for the good. Literarature began with religious writings, magical elements, magical creatures, moving on to dramas of Shakespeare and other playwrights, then to travelogues, utopian fiction likeUtopiaby Thomas More, poetry of various sorts, literary prose, nonfiction genres of essays and business letters, war writing, academic writing. Poetry, essay and novels were the traditional narrative.
Novels were popular in Victorian times and branched into several major genres later. Novels began with travel writing, and moved into incorporating emotions, reflecting deeper psychological insight into characters like instream of consciousness, comedic elements like incomedy of manners, dystopian novels of George Orwell (1984), Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) and so on.
What are the 21st-century genres?
21st century has thousands of micro genres under its wing. From sci fi novels to social media posts which contain short literary compositions, this era has seen it all. We have seen the rise of digital literature, writings on important social issues like refugees, minorities, ethnic studies, speculative fiction stories, magic realism like of Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude), Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore) are some popular writing genres.
