• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chandler's Ford Today

  • Home
  • About
    • About Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research
  • Blog
    • Blogging Tips
  • Event
    • Upcoming Events
  • Community
    • Groups
    • Churches
    • Schools
    • GP Surgeries
    • Leisure
    • Library
    • Charities
      • Eastleigh Basics Bank
      • Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler’s Ford
    • Fair Trade
      • Traidcraft stalls in Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford Parish Council
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Site Policies
  • Site Archive
    • Site Archive 2018
    • Site Archive 2017
    • Site Archive 2016
    • Site Archive 2015
You are here: Home / Arts / Genre Fiction

Genre Fiction

June 12, 2020 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Genre fiction can be described as anything that is not literary fiction. Yes, I know – very helpful, not!

I have nothing against literary fiction though I suspect the only book I have in that category is the magnificent Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I was in a dilemma with her follow up Bring Up The Bodies. I know how the story of Anne Boleyn ends!

When you know there is nothing positive well… having said that, I may well try it at some point. (Mind you, I was like this with the film Titanic. I knew about the iceberg! Didn’t see anything in the film for me!). Okay, call me a philistine then…

Bound to be some genre fiction here. Pixabay

The Purpose of Genre Fiction

Oh and I suspect the sainted Miss Austen would come into genre fiction as romantic comedy so there! Dickens was considered a hack writer in his day and indeed wrote by installments and, yes, for the money. I’ve always had the impression that literary fiction is “above” that kind of thing but this may well be just me.

Jane Austen
Jane Austen – Pixabay

But when it comes to reading, I do prefer genre fiction. All of my favourite books come within this category. I prefer to think of genre fiction as books which are aimed at entertaining readers. That is not to say they can’t be educational or enlightening as well, but their main purpose for me is to entertain.

I don’t think that is the main purpose of literary fiction. Literary fiction to me is meant to enlighten and perhaps challenge the reader. That’s fine incidentally but I tend to read at bedtime and frankly I don’t want an intellectual challenge at that point in the day!

I also see genre fiction as being instantly accessible and that is a major part of its appeal to me. Storytelling is meant to get a story across to a reader and keep them engrossed enough to want to read to the end of it and to want to find out what happens.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Categories of Genre Fiction

I’m sure you’ll think of others but below are the main genre fiction categories I would list.

Crime
Historical Fiction
Women’s Fiction
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Thrillers
Horror
Westerns
Children’s Fiction which is a category on its own but overall I would say comes into genre.
Young Adult

There are all manner of sub-divisions within each genre and there can be a certain amount of crossover too. For example, crime and horror often combine as does, ironically, crime and comedy. Well, there’s a contrast for you!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Variety and Snobbery

The above sounds a bit like a cast-off book title from Jane Austen, does it not?! Seriously, I love the variety within genre fiction.

For crime, I prefer the cosy end of the market but there’s plenty of room and books available for those who like the bloodier crime stories.

For history, I like those stories which tell a well known historical story from the viewpoint of a historical character. The late Jean Plaidy was very good at these. Her In the Shadow of the Crown tells the story of Mary Tudor from Mary’s viewpoint. (Most of the focus in this era is on her half-sister, Elizabeth. Don’t get me wrong. I like those but it was good to see a viewpoint from another Tudor monarch.).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I do loathe the snobbery around genre fiction. It is the bread and butter earner for the publishing houses and does subsidize literary fiction. I have no problems with that but I do hate the “it’s only genre fiction” attitude I have come across. There is no only about it. A good genre fiction book takes time and effort to write and craft and get to publication standard. It takes even more work to get it edited well and published.

And for it to go down well with readers is the ultimate accolade.

Ultimately as authors, we want books and stories to be read and enjoyed and for readers to go and read and enjoy more books. Genre fiction is hugely successful in what it does here.

If characters are real enough, entering their world is simple regardless of genre. Pixabay

Whether the snobbery is a hang over from the old “penny dreadfuls” I don’t know, but I would argue even those got people reading who had not read before.

I also see no problem with comic books or manga or anything like that. They get people into books when all is said and done and that is the problem all writers face.

Having people read and keep reading is our ultimate goal. It’s wonderful when people develop a reading habit early and keep it up. But how do you draw in the reluctant reader?

You’ve got to go back to basics and come up with a wonderful story people have to read.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Time For Crime Fiction

I see the forerunners of crime fiction as we know it now as Edgar Allan Poe and, above all, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle with his legendary creation, Sherlock Holmes, who is also the first of the flawed detectives. And the particular flaw Holmes has is still controversial now. I wonder if that had been anticipated?

You can also know you’ve been successful in what you do when other authors either send you up or kind of mimic you. Agatha Christie does appear to give Hercule Poirot a less intelligent brother, Achille. That is a direct nod to Sherlock and his brother Mycroft Holmes in the Doyle stories. The story concerned here, The Big Four, I see as Christie’s answer to Doyle’s The Sign of Four.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Conclusion

To be honest, what matters most to me is that people read and love doing so. That ultimately is why I have no time for snobbery of any kind around fiction. I don’t have a problem with literary fiction but it simply isn’t going to be what I reach for first and foremost when looking for my next read.

Whatever you read, enjoy! That really is the important thing! And do share what your favourite books are in the comments box. We can all add to our reading lists!

Related Posts:-

Murphy’s Law For Readers

The Long and The Short of It – Reading

What Makes A Good Story

What Books Mean To Me – Part 1

What Books Mean to Me – Part 2

What Books Mean To Me – Part 3

Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.

Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.

Never miss out on another blog post. Subscribe here:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Email

Related posts:

Marriage and Journey and a Dog coverMy Debut Novel: Marriage, a Journey, and a Dog Gill James Bridge House publishingLife as a Small Publisher: Allison Symes Talks to Gill James Top 10 Reasons to Love Books Feature Image Book Fair 2017Writers Getting Out and About: Book Fair 2017 Feature Image - What Books Mean to Me - Part 3What Books Mean To Me – Part 3
Tags: books, genre fiction, literary fiction, reading

About Allison Symes

I'm a published flash fiction and short story writer, as well as a blogger. My fiction work has appeared in anthologies from Cafelit and Bridge House Publishing.

My first flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again, was published by Chapeltown Books in 2017.

My follow-up, Tripping the Flash Fantastic, was published by Chapeltown Books in 2020.

I adore the works of many authors but my favourites are Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett.

I like to describe my fiction as fairytales with bite.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike Sedgwick says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:57 am

    I had no idea what a ‘genre’ was when a publisher asked for one to describe my wife’s book. For me, each author was unique and had his or her own genre. Some authors write the same book over and over and call it a series but analysis shows they are written to a formula e.g. Ian Fleming’s James Bond.
    Scanning the titles on my kindle reveals just 2 ‘genres’ – books I enjoyed and books I cannot remember reading.
    What about Quest as a genre?

    Reply
  2. Allison Symes says

    June 12, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    Quest, I think Mike, would come under Adventure/Thriller. It could also come under Fantasy/Science Fiction depending on what the quest was and where it was set! Mind you, I think the two most important categories ARE as you’ve stated – books I’ve enjoyed and books I can’t remember reading. There is a theory that there are only seven basic plots (I have an excellent book on the topic) and Quest IS one of those and rightly so.

    Reply
  3. Richard Hardie says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:31 pm

    Good article, Allison.
    However sometimes pigeonholing is negative. I know one major chain has my books stuck in the 9 to 12 age group and no matter how much I tell them that Young Adult means anyone from 8 to 80, they won’t budge!
    As to genre, I know I’m Young Adult, but then I’m also Fantasy, Adventure, Historical and probably a couple of others. So when people ask me what genre I write, I tell them to buy my books and make up their own minds, and then tell me!

    Reply
  4. Allison Symes says

    June 12, 2020 at 9:43 pm

    Many thanks, Richard. The problem writers have is knowing what category their book is in when pitching to an agent/publisher. Indie writers need to know categories too to fit in with Amazon etc.

    Most books are crossovers to a certain extent. I suppose the best thing is to go for the majority element.

    Oh and YA – I agree with you. I’m definitely not a YA any more (!) but love reading books in this category. It is really only an age guide in that younger kids are less likely to want to read it though even then it depends on the kid. I read beyond my years. These days I read despite my years!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chandler's Ford Today blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Top Posts & Pages

999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Must Know
A walk in a park
101 Things to Put into Room 101
Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler's Ford
Home
Roger Clark's Quest to Antarctica to Photograph the Right Penguins
101 Things to Put into Room 101 - Part 7 - The Final Leg
Launches in Lockdown - Part 1
Lockdown Afternoon Tea
My Passion For Woodwork

Categories

Tags

arts and crafts books Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford Today Chandler’s Ford community charity Christianity Christmas church community creative writing culture Eastleigh Eastleigh Borough Council education entertainment event family fundraising gardening good neighbours Hiltingbury Hiltingbury Road history hobby how-to interview Joan Adamson Joan Adelaide Goater local businesses local interest memory Methodist Church music nature news reading religion review social storytelling theatre travel Winchester Road writing

Recent Comments

  • Allison Symes on A walk in a park
  • Chippy on A walk in a park
  • Mike Sedgwick on A walk in a park
  • Allison Symes on A walk in a park
  • Allison Symes on Launches in Lockdown – Part 1
  • Mike Sedgwick on Launches in Lockdown – Part 1

Regular Writers and Contributors

Janet Williams Allison Symes Mike Sedgwick Rick Goater Doug Clews chippy minton Martin Napier Roger White Andy Vining Gopi Chandroth Nicola Slade Wellie Roger Clark Ray Fishman Hazel Bateman SO53 News

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

Copyright © 2021 Chandler's Ford Today. WordPress. Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.