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Personal Preferences in Arts and Literature

We all have personal preferences when it comes to movies and the arts. For example, some may prefer action films over romance, or thrillers over documentaries. The same applies to books.

Understanding Genres

Books are written in various genres, and these genres help us understand our individual tastes. A genre is essentially a category of books that share similarities in subject, style, or format.

Main Book Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction

Books can be broadly classified into two main categories: fiction and nonfiction. These classifications also apply to films, plays, television shows, and other forms of art.

Fiction: Imagination and Creativity

In general, fiction refers to works with plots, settings, and characters created from the author's imagination. Fiction can be both realistic and speculative.

Nonfiction: Based on Real Events

On the other hand, nonfiction refers to stories based on actual events, with real people as characters. Nonfiction is a broad genre that includes works such as history and biography, instructional books, commentary, humor, and even philosophical reflections.

Some Genres of Fiction:

(Click down arrow to read genre descriptions)

Novels in Verse/Poetry

A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose.

Prose are usually what fiction books are written in. That means the story is told in sentences which become paragraphs then pages and turn into chapters. In a verse novel, the story is told through poems–rhyming or not, it doesn't matter.

Contemporary/Realistic/Urban

Contemporary/Realistic:

Genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to real people. Realistic fiction creates imaginary characters and situations that depict our world and society. It focuses on themes of growing up and confronting personal and social problems. This genre portrays characters coming to understand themselves and others.

Stories from this genre are set in a realistic, modern-day world, and are usually written from a first-person perspective. This genre may overlap with others, such as romance and comedy. Protagonists may be dealing with anything from the everyday trials and tribulations of modern life to schools, peer pressure, social media and even political matters.

Urban Fiction:

Urban fiction, also known as street lit or street fiction, is a literary genre set in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the socio-economic realities and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside of city living.

Dystopian

Dystopian literature is a form of speculative fiction that began as a response to utopian literature. A dystopia is an imagined community or society that is dehumanizing, frightening, and overall undesirable -- the opposite of a utopia (perfect society).

Dystopian novels that have a didactic message often explore themes like anarchism, oppression, and mass poverty.

Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction

The central themes of dystopian novels generally fall under these topics:

Government control
Environmental destruction
Technological control
Survival
Loss of individualism

Dystopian fiction can be a way to educate and warn humanity about the dangers of current social and political structures.

Ex: Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a futuristic United States, known as Gilead. It cautions against oppressive patriarchy.

Sci-Fi (Science Fiction)

Science fiction (Sci-Fi) is one of the most creative genres in literature. Sci-fi novels take readers on adventures from faraway galaxies to underwater worlds and everywhere in between, introducing them to otherworldly characters and technologies along the way.

Sci-Fi contains imagined elements that don’t exist in the real world. Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Ex, Marvel movies, Star Wars-laser swords do not exist in the real world.

Historical

Historical fiction is a literary genre where the story takes place in the past.

The plot uses real historic events, e.g. World War I. Historical novels capture the details of the time period as accurately as possible for authenticity, including social norms, manners, customs, and traditions.

Many novels in this genre tell fictional stories that involve actual historical figures or historical events.

Romance

A romance novel or romantic novel is a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.

The aim of the genre is simple, showcasing a love story where two people overcome adversity to obtain their happily ever after.

Mystery

The mystery genre is a genre of fiction that follows a crime (like a murder or a disappearance) from the moment it is committed, to the moment it is solved.

Mystery novels are often called “whodunnits” because they turn the reader into a detective trying to figure out the who, what, when, and how of a particular crime. Most mysteries feature a detective or private eye solving a case as the central character.

Horror

Horror is a genre of literature that is meant to scare, startle, shock, and even repulse audiences. The key focus of a horror novel is to elicit a sense of dread in the reader through frightening images, themes, and situations.

A horror story often shocks and provokes with its exploration of the unknown.

Manga

More of a format of writing, not a genre.

What it is. Manga-(mahn-gah ) refers to a wide variety of Japanese graphic novels. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term manga is used in Japan to refer to both comics and cartooning. Unlike American comic books, which are usually printed in full color, Japanese manga are almost always published in black and white. Full-color prints are often only used for special releases.

What it isn’t. Manga and anime are two different things-though they are visually similar and some of the more popular manga series have become anime (i.e. Dragon Ball Z). Generally speaking, manga refers to graphic novels and anything printed, while anime refers to television or movies.

It’s backwards. Japanese manga is read right-to-left rather than left-to-right, which is the norm for English language publications. This can take some getting used to if you have only ever read English publications

There are five main types of manga. Shonen, shojo, seinen, josei, and kodomomuke - each of which is based, broadly, on gender and age.

Shonen- Shonen manga is aimed at tween and teen boys. Shonen manga is by far the most popular and prevalent type — and it’s enjoyed by boys and girls alike. Typically, it features boy protagonists who either fights or are funny (could be both). Key titles include Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, Bleach by Tite Kubo, Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba, and Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa.
Shoujo- Shoujo manga is aimed at tween and teen girls. Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, with its schoolgirls-turned-superheroes, is likely the most famous shoujo series.
Seinen & josei- made for the more mature crowd.
Kodomomuke- manga for younger children

Graphic Novels

A "Graphic Novel" is a format, not a genre.

Graphic novels can be fiction, non-fiction, history, fantasy, or anything in-between. Graphic novels are similar to comic books because they use sequential art to tell a story.

Main Genres of Nonfiction:

History.
Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Travel guides and travelogues.
Academic texts.
Philosophy and insight.
Journalism.
Self-help and instruction.
Guides and how-to manuals.
Humor and commentary.

Finding Your Next Read

Have you thought about what genre of books you'd like to explore?

You can find all of the genres mentioned above at the CHS Library! If you're unsure, the library team is always ready to help you choose the perfect book. Stop by the library in Room 327!

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Glossary:

Speculative fiction- a genre of fiction that encompasses works in which the setting is other than the real world, involving supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements.

Protagonist- main character of a story. The protagonist is at the center of the story, makes the key decisions, and experiences the consequences of those decisions. The protagonist is the primary agent propelling the story forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles.

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