novel/story review
sana_6113939
GenreStudiesIntroduction1.pptxGenre Studies for English 1b
Subcategories of the Epic/Action & Adventure Genre
-Science Fiction
-Horror Fiction
-Fantasy Fiction
Genres (types) of Fiction
Identifying the GENRE of a work of fiction helps to critically analyze it by understanding its underlying purposes and primary concerns.
Classically, we have identified three main genres or types of stories:
COMEDY, DRAMA & EPIC/ ADVENTURE
Our course concerns itself primarily with Science Fiction, a subgenre of the Epic (Action-Adventure) category.
In the modern era, several subtypes of the traditional epic/action-adventure story have evolved:
Science fiction
Horror fiction & many hybrids of these three
Fantasy fiction
SCIENCE FICTION
Science fiction is a modern subgenre of action/adventure films and fiction.
Its purpose is to critique or ask us to re-consider the uses and abuses of science and/or technology and how these ‘improvements’ may go awry.
Note that it always involves questions about the use or abuse of some kind of science or technology – if there’s no science, it’s not sci fi.
It often takes place in the future, in a parallel universe not unlike our own, or in an imagined but feasible universe.
It is set in an imagined universe but its primary assumptions involve feasible or possible worlds, which distinguishes it from out-and-out fantasy. Its world MIGHT some day be possible.
Examples: Star Trek; Mad Max; Terminator; Star Wars; The Hunger Games; I, Robot; Ready Player One
HORROR FICTION
Horror fiction, another subcategory of the action-adventure genre, has as its purpose to terrify, frighten, scare, disgust or startle us, causing a CATHARSIS that enables us to process our terror or fear, making us stronger or wiser people (in theory ).
Told around campfires by our earliest ancestors, tales of monsters and ghosts remain essentially the same today, though the modern versions create fresh hells and strange new nightmarish zombies, vampires and twisted, bloody creatures bent on torture and cruelty.
Horror literature in the modern age is interpreted mainly as a metaphor for the larger fears of the culture. When it is well enough done, horror stories cause us to cathect or purge our fears, making it possible for us to think clearly and objectively about our choices and our fears in life.
EXAMPLES: The Tell-Tale Heart; Frankenstein; Dracula, Friday the 13th ; Silence of the Lambs; Escape Room; Get Out!, Night of the Living Dead
FANTASY FICTION
Fantasy fiction, another subgenre of the action-adventure genre, creates fantastic worlds and magical creatures that inspire us to confront evil. Hence, its purpose is to inspire us, to encourage us, and to help us to dream so that we may become better people than we are now.
The magical beasts, the wizards, witches, demons, and vampires, all the Marvel superpower men and women that populate fantasy fiction invite us to confront some “big” issues:
Good vs. Evil; Innocence vs. Corruption; Reality vs. Appearance
Well-written fantasy fiction is anything but escapist – its imaginary worlds and extraordinary beings inspire us to see life as a journey, encouraging us to rise up and become willing to be better people.
Examples: Lord of the Rings; The Wizard of Oz; The Hulk; Harry Potter; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Captain Marvel; Akira
Critical Thinking Using Genres
Try to fit a current film, novel or tv show into a constructed category – its subgenere-- as an aid to understanding its primary purposes. What’s it trying to accomplish as a work of art?
It’s important to recognize that most works are hybrids, using a mix of fantasy elements, for example, in a work that is primarily science fiction.
The critical thinker’s challenge is to identify the primary category of a work of fiction or a modern film. What’s it really all about, bottom line? Think in terms of its impact on its readers or viewers.
Perhaps obviously, many if not most current films and novels fall outside the action/adventure subcategories described here, but everything can be categorized. Give it a try, just for the fun of it. Watching “Superman” this weekend on TV? Q: What’s its genre? A: Action/adventure fantasy, of course!
Contrast: What Sci Fi Is NOT
FANTASY
Inspirational – primary purpose to encourage, enchant, and inspire you to become a better person.
Magic, gods, heroes, have adventures that carry us away with them
Some concern with paranormal abilities, terrible monsters but they’re there to be vanquished
Saving the world from evil or learning to be better citizens common outomes
HORROR
Cathartic -- primary purpose to frighten or terrify so that we purge or process our fears
Eerie, frightening settings & atmospheres
Ghosts, monsters and horrible ghouls make our hearts pump and our adrenaline surge
Human evil lurks, threatens, pounces, making it clear that we’re always in some sort of danger
In Summary: Recognizing Three Action/Adventure Genres
Sci Fi – Urges us to think more critically about the world around us – how power corrupts governments and how technology changes the world. It’s concerned with the moral, and/or physical consequences of science and technology, with what’s right & wrong, and with what makes us human. It calls us to act in order to make a difference in the world.
Fantasy – Designed to inspire us to be our best selves, it generally serves as an entertaining, fantastic form of moral allegory that represents the good vs evil forces at work in the inner (psychological) realms.
Horror – Often read as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society, horror “scares us to death” and thus helps us to purge ourselves of our deepest terrors.
