It’s not Paranormal Romance, It’s Urban Fantasy!: Arguments about Genres
When people discuss speculative fiction, it often devolves into an argument about putting books or movies into their proper genres. At conventions, literary panels will begin with the panelists trying to define genres, subgenres, then eventually getting around to talking about the books themselves. Book clubs use up some of their time trying to agree on which subgenre their book of month belongs in. Is it paranormal romance? Is it urban fantasy? Is it dark fantasy? Is it horror?
Before we can discuss something, we need to agree on what it is. When guys see an awesome car, they need to determine what make, model, and year it is; everything else can wait. Of course, cars are a little different. A car is either a ’95 Chevy Impala or it isn’t. Classifying a book is not so clear cut.
We organize things into categories and subcategories to make large amounts of information easier to think about, recall, and analyze. We like to group things all the time. Other times we put them in ranks, forming top 10s or top 100s, all in an effort to put things or information in their proper place.
The problem is, categorizing literary works is subjective. Authors and publishers will sometimes identify a work as this or that, but more often than not it is the readers and retailers that do it. It gets more complicated when English professors and literary experts will invoke their expertise and actually classify a work differently than the author herself, or the publisher, or most of the readers. How can so many that read the same thing and disagree on a label?
In my opinion, the reason is that the categories themselves are subjectively formed and defined.
Here are a few examples: Some people put all books about zombies into a subgenre called zombie literature or simply zombie fiction. If it has zombies in it, it goes here. So Serpent and the Rainbow, The Walking Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Zombieland, 28 Days Later, and World War Z are all here. But if you read these books or see the movies or shows, they can be very different. The fact that there are zombies in it, only gives you a partial picture of what the literary or movie experience will be.
Zombieland is a comedy, while most zombie movies are horror. Some books use zombies as a parody, rather than a horror monster. World War Z and 28 Days Later are more science fiction than horror, referring to the zombie as a virus, not supernatural monsters. The zombie of Serpent and the Rainbow has very little to do with the zombies of these other works.
There can be so many important differences, it doesn’t tell us much to refer to something as a zombie book or zombie literature. We need to know a bit more.
Another example: epic fantasy. The definition of epic is: noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style.
So if we use the word epic, it means a long work, usually with a hero or something with great achievements or events. First problem: the term “usually.” This expands the definition, meaning the story doesn’t need to be centered on a hero. So we throw that out, no need to have a hero. So epic fantasy is something that takes place in an imaginary land, that is long, in which great achievements or events are involved. Here, great means something positive, i.e. evil queen dethroned, nasty dragon killed, peace, prosperity.
Is George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Series epic fantasy? It is certainly long, but there are no great achievements or events. The only achievements are the securing of power, hardly great. Yet some would define it as an epic fantasy series.
If it isn’t epic, what is it? Dark fantasy? Most books in this category are horror books. A Song of Ice and Fire is not a horror series. It certainly isn’t urban fantasy either. It isn’t Arthurian or heroic. There are three heroic characters in the series (thru 3 books): Eduard Stark, Robb Stark, and Daenerys Targareyn. Two are dead, and the third wants the throne, IOW she wants power. Sure she frees slaves and is generally compassionate, but she’s also killed many in often brutal ways.
Other epic or high fantasies don’t have scenes of rape, children being murdered or pushed from towers, desecration of bodies, incest, or pillaging.
Here I’ve used Wikipedia and dictionary definitions to make my point. I’m not saying people are wrong to put A Song of Ice and Fire in he epic fantasy category. What I’m saying is they are using their own tailored definition of epic fantasy. In reality, most people use genre and subgenre terms their own way.
Before any argument can end, the sides need to agree on a definition, but usually cannot. Therefore, it is pointless to argue about genre classifications. Define your own but don’t expect anyone else to use the same definitions or categories.
As for retailers, I for one do not like the categories that Amazon and Barnes & Noble uses. One category is “high-tech” and another is “adventure.” There are plenty of books that can be both. So which category will I find them in? Probably both! Then there’s separate categories for Star Wars, Star Trek, and space opera on B&N.
In their system, a book should be in as many categories as possible so it can be sold, which is why you can find A Game of Thrones in the science fiction section of Amazon! Their categories are driven by sales, not definitional accuracy. So, they are no help.
A few weeks ago I decided to give this whole genre/subgenre organization thing a shot. This is just my system, I don’t expect anyone to use it or agree with it. So why blog about it? I guess maybe just to give people something to think about when they are reading books or thinking about books they’ve already read. Speculative fiction has become a big and diverse universe, and it is getting a little too easy for great ideas and great stories to fall through the cracks simply because they weren’t correctly categorized or described to prospective readers.
My definitions are based on the main speculative theme or concept of the book. If you were to describe a book in a few words, which part would you focus on first? Some books have elements of multiple categories, but some elements are just background or tertiary elements, not the focus. For example, Ender’s Game is set in the future, but the war and military service is the core theme of the novel, not the world of tomorrow.
So here it is: my genre organization for science fiction
Utopian - A story about an ideal society, often used as a direct critique of our current society or our current world. It can be set in the future, past, present, alternate reality, and have any kind of story structure, so long as the main focus is the superiority or perfection of the society itself. Examples: Thomas More’s Utopia, Erewhon, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, certain episodes of Star Trek.
Dystopian - A story about a flawed society that can be used as an indirect critique of contemporary society, a warning of where our current path will lead, or to identify a specific issue in a speculative fashion. It can be any setting or structure, as long as the main theme is the dysfunction of society. Examples: The Hunger Games, 1984, A Brave New World.
Post-Apocalyptic – A story about a major cataclysm: the causes, the effects, and life afterward. These are often critiques of the pre-apocalypse society, but more often about survival, adaptation, and recovery. It is about regaining something after the fall. Examples: The Walking Dead, A Canticle for Leibowitz, City of Ember, Wool, Earth Abides, Oryx and Crake, I am Legend, The Matrix.
Contemporary Innovation – this is about a scientific breakthrough in the present. We see it in our our time and world as it changes everything. This is distinct in that the story revolves around the innovation, not the setting. Examples: Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Stargate.
Alternate Realities - This covers time travel, alternate history, steampunk, and virtual reality. If the story takes place in a reality unlike our own but has science and technology, it belongs here. Examples: Back to the Future, The Difference Engine, The Time Machine, Dr. Who, 1633, The Man in the High Castle.
Futurist (World of Tomorrow) - This is the biggest category in science fiction. It is about the future. It might have weapons, dystopian societies, hard-tech, soft-tech, but the story generally is about the future of humanity and what it will look like. This covers space exploration. Examples: Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Foundation, 2312, Serenity, Firefly, Dune, Leviathan Wakes, Gateway.
Military - obviously war and combat, normally in the future, is the focus. Weapons technology, new combat tactics, new wars, political intrigue, or the experiences of an individual soldier can play out here. David Weber, John Ringo, and other Baen Books authors make their living here. Other examples include: The Forever War, Ender’s Game, Old Man’s War, Starship Troopers, Halo.
Superhuman - this covers all superheroes, where they are the focus of the story. Most comic books fall under this category. Examples:… well you shouldn’t need any.
There is some overlap if you merely list the elements in each book. I understand that. And there is sometimes disagreement over what the central theme of a novel really was, which could create some arguments, but I think this organization minimizes those controversies.
Next up, I’ll try fantasy but am not nearly as confident in that. I don’t read much fantasy and don’t particularly enjoy it.
That’s all for now. Feel free disagree, rearrange, or just go with your own definitions and classifications.
J
The post It’s not Paranormal Romance, It’s Urban Fantasy!: Arguments about Genres appeared first on Jacob Foxx.
