Literature Section Diary Thread - Literature - Nairaland
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| Literature Section Diary Thread by Mynd44: 12:34pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
It is tiring when we want to look for our favorite story and we can't find it perhaps because it is old and we don't know which page on the section it is or perhaps the writer is in a fix and has not updated in a while hence, it is so far down on our followed list, we can't find it. Well an idea came from a user that we should have a library thread where we will have links to all the stories on this section there (finished or unfinished). This will serve as a sort of directory which will help direct new users to find a story which they want to find easily. Now this is not the directory itself but a thread which will serve as where we can share ideas as to how to go about it. Some might say it should be by Genre or perhaps by username or alphabetical order whichever works for us. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by yemi2plus(m): 2:11pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
Good development |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by ERF: 8:25pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
This is nice, buh i have some questions ßoss. Do we post the "Links" here or the "gists" or both? If the Links are to be posted, can it be done by any person in particular or the writters only? |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by ERF: 8:25pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
... |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by Mynd44: 8:38pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
Just the link and the name of the author will do. We can talk about the gist threads later |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 8:59pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
Mynd, my work aint done, will compile it and put post it 2mao |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by yemi2plus(m): 9:12pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
Mynd... I think you should make this thread stick to the top, just like the endorsement and complaint threads. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by Mynd44: 10:58pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
This is just to gather the threads. The final library will be though |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 11:02pm On Jul 26, 2013 |
Mynd_44: This is just to gather the threads. The final library will be thoughcool |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by An0nimus: 5:18am On Jul 27, 2013 |
Nice idea I must say. Me likey |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:46pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Let's talk about genre and get a clear picture of what it is first. The word genre comes from the French (and originally Latin) word for “kind” or “class”. It is loosely associated with “classification” and represents a method of sorting different types of items. The term is widely used to refer to a distinctive type of text, painting, song or film. For example, you might love a Mills&Boon romance novels, love watching chickflicks on tv while your brother might be more drawn to action films and detective novels like the RunAway Jury by John Grisham. Each of these descriptors explains the type, kind or class of reading, listening and viewing two people enjoy. While genre is somewhat less scientific than Darwin’s species classifications, they serve similar purposes. Genre aims to divide literature into types and to name those types for the benefit of all people who might approach them, as well as people who aim to create them. Julius Ceasar, which most of us have read in senior high school, is a play, and it is also a tragedy. That is to say, it is a piece of writing in the genre of a play and it is a a play in the genre of tragedy, one that is serious and dramatic, adhering to a set of particular generic conventions and which is not intended to be (principally) funny. Being funny is reserved for plays (or other artworks) that adhere to the genre and generic conventions of comedy. One of the simplest/most basic distinctions between the genres of tragedy and comedy is that comedies have happy endings, while tragedies do not. One way to understand genre, then, is as a specification of social practices -- we see comedy as equalling X and drama as equalling Y or a poem as being the shape of Z and rock music as having tendencies L. These social practices are both creative/authorial and spectatorial, meaning they exist for both the artist and the viewer/reader/listener. They also cut across mediums. Genres exists for and in many different forms. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:46pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Why is genre important in literature. • If you pick up a book of poetry you will not expect to be reading full paragraphs of reportorial, factual prose. You will expect short sentences, often fragments of sentences and an evocative, imaginative style. When you go on-line to download a film on Hulu or Netflix and search under “action” you will not expect (or desire) to find a love story. In this way genre helps inform an audience about what it is going to experience and what it can expect from the work in front of them. •Genre also informs the artist. When a writer or painter or filmmaker sets out to create their art they work within established conventions of forms prescribed by genre. Genre provides artists with a code, or recipe for structuring their work. Different genres have different meanings and sensibilities that might be more or less appropriate for telling a certain story or getting a particular emotion or point across to an audience. Artists choose genres because of these meanings and sensibilities and also because most genres also have an inherent message they want to amplify, contrast, explore or extend. •Even though many artists choose to write or perform tragedy or comedy, it is doubtful any two tragedies or comedies will end up exactly the same, even though many different artists will create them using the “recipe” for tragedy or comedy. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:47pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
What can genre teach us, the writers and lovers of arts alike So what is to be gained from generic classification, especially when so often people break the rules? In many ways what knowledge of genre allows us to do is have a cultural conversation about literature or other forms of art (film, music). Most texts, most pieces or music or art are strongly influenced by their relationship to one or more genre, even if they willfully alter those forms. Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel, China Men, is, in particular, one example of a text that remains strongly influenced by the novel genre, as well as the legal-document genre and the memoir genre, even as it tries to alter or overturn those categories. Generic affiliations and deviations help us unearth historical context and meaning, even the politics, of a text or artwork. Genre also allows for a more general discussion of art or writing in the sense that one can discuss the surge of Punk Rock in the 70s and 80s and the ways the development of that genre transformed popular music, or the decline of the popularity of poetry and the rise of the novel, or more recently, graphic novels or film as the primary form of story-telling in the Africa the current (and persistent) popularity of witchcraft, tribalism and xenophobia, dictatorship and racism stories in novels, films and graphic art forms, might tell us something about culture in Africa as a whole. Genre also prepares you to function within, understand and interact with a variety of forms. It can also teach you about appropriateness: when to use or seek particular kinds of writing, music, film or other artwork. You wouldn’t want to use the novel genre for your Humanities Core essay assignment, and you likely would not use the academic essay genre when writing to your best friend (or texting them). The reason you know this is genre: our agreed upon conventions, or categories, of forms of expression. Genre is not static, as the texting example shows. New genres are created regularly. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:48pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Genres Limitation Although genre gives us a way to talk about the production of art or compare artistic pieces, and can provide a way of getting at meaning, it is not, primarily an evaluative tool. While knowing the genre of a work of art of piece of literature will tell you something about its character -- what it is and maybe how it was made, but it is not an exhaustive tool. As we have seen, generic categories do not encompass all artwork. It is perhaps better to think of genre in this sense as a guide, rather than absolute law or the last word on the subject. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:49pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Previous posts gave us the idea behind this thread. Let's list literary genres we have, hopefully all the works in literature section will have a place/genre on which they fall under. ACTION An action story is similar to Adventure, but the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate situations (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and Adventure are usually categorized together (sometimes even as "action-adventure"  because they have much in common, and many stories fall under both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both).▪ Heroic bloodshed: Hong Kong action revolving around stylized sequences and dramatic themes such as brotherhood, duty, honor, redemption and violence. ▪ Military fiction: A story about a war or battle that can either be historical or fictional. It usually follows the events a certain warrior goes through during the battle's events. ▪ Spy fiction: A story about a secret agent (spy) or military personnel member who is sent on a secret espionage mission. Usually, they are equipped with special gadgets that prove useful during the mission, and they have special training in things such as unarmed combat or computer hacking. They may or may not work for a specific government. ▪ Western fiction: A story talking place in the American Old West. Westerns commonly feature bounty hunters, gunfighters, outlaws and/or cowboys. ▪ Girls with guns and swords: This is a sub-genre of action films and animation, often Asian films and anime, that portray a strong female protagonist who makes use of firearms to defend against or attack a group of antagonists. The genre typically involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:50pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
ADVENTURE An adventure story is about a protagonist who journeys to epic or distant places to accomplish something. It can have many other genre elements included within it, because it is a very open genre. The protagonist has a mission and faces obstacles to get to his destination. ▪ Shōnen manga: A manga marketed to males roughly ages 10 and up. It is typically characterized by high-action, often humorous plots featuring male protagonists. The camaraderie between boys or men on sports teams, fighting squads, and the like is often emphasized. Attractive female characters with exaggerated features are also common. ▪ Superhero fiction: A story that examines the adventures of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:50pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
COMEDY Comedy is a story that tells about a series of funny or comical events, intended to make the audience laugh. It is a very open genre, and thus crosses over with many other genres on a frequent basis. ▪ Comedy of manners: A story satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters. The plot of the comedy is often concerned with an illicit love affair or some other scandal, but is generally less important than its witty dialogue. This form of comedy has a long ancestry, dating back at least as far as Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing. ▪ Humorous: Fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement. Meant to entertain. ▪ Tall tale: A humorous story with blatant exaggeration,swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance. ▪ Parody: A story that mocks or satirizes other genres, people, fictional characters or works. Such works employ sarcasm, stereotyping, mockery of scenes, symbols or lines from other works, and the obviousness of meaning in a character's actions. Such stories may be "affectionate parodies" which merely mean to entertain those familiar with the source of the parody... or they may well be intended to undercut the respectability of the original inspiration for the parody by pointing out its flaws (the latter being closer to satire). ▪ Romantic comedy: A subgenre which combines the romance genre with comedy, focusing on two or more individuals as they discover and attempt to deal with their romantic love, attractions to each other. The stereotypical plot line follows the "boy-gets-girl", "boy-loses-girl", "boy gets girl back again" sequence. Naturally, there are innumerable variants to this plot (as well as new twists, such as reversing the gender roles in the story), and much of the generally lighthearted comedy lies in the social interactions and sexual tension between the characters, who very often either refuse to admit they are attracted to one another, or must deal with others' meddling in their affairs. ▪ Comic fantasy ▪ Comedy horror: See Shawn of the Dead and Jennifer's Body. ▪ Black comedy: A parody or satirical story that is based on normally tragic or taboo subjects, including death, murder, suicide, illicit drugs and war. So-called "Dead Baby Comedy" sometimes falls under this genre. ▪ Zombie comedy: Often called zom com or zomedy, this is a genre that blends zombie horror motifs with slapstick comedy as well as dark comedy. ▪ Comic science fiction: A comedy that uses science fiction elements or settings, often as a lighthearted (or occasionally vicious) parody of the latter genre. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:53pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
[size=13pt] CRIME A crime story is about a crime that is being committed or was committed. It can also be an account of a criminal's life. It often falls into the Action or Adventure genres. ▪ Detective story: A story about a detective (or detectives) and/or person, either professional or amateur, who has to solve a crime that was committed. They must figure out who committed the crime and why. Sometimes, the detective must figure out 'how' the criminal committed the crime if it seems impossible. ▪ Whodunnit: This is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the audience is given the opportunity to engage in the same process of deduction as the protagonist throughout the investigation of a crime. The reader or viewer is provided with the clues from which the identity of the perpetrator may be deduced before the story provides the revelation itself at its climax. The investigation is usually conducted by an eccentric amateur or semi-professional detective. ▪ Courtroom drama: A subgenre of dramatic programming. This subgenre presents fictional drama about law. Law enforcement, crime, detective-based mystery solving, lawyer work, civil litigation, etc., are all possible focuses of legal dramas. Common subgenres of legal dramas include detective dramas, police dramas, courtroom dramas, legal thrillers, etc. Legal dramas come in all shapes and sizes and may also span into other forms of media, including novels, plays television shows, and films. ▪ Murder mystery: A mystery story which focuses on one type of criminal case: homicide. Usually, there are one or more murder victims, and the detective must figure out who killed them, the same way he or she solves other crimes. They may or may not find themselves or loved ones in danger because of this investigation; the genre often includes elements of the suspense story genre, or of the action and adventure genres. ▪ Hardboiled:This is a literary genre sharing the setting with crime fiction (especially detective stories). Although deriving from romantic tradition which emphasized the emotions of apprehension, horror and terror, and awe, the hardboiled fiction deviates from the tradition in the detective's cynical attitude towards those emotions. The attitude is conveyed through the detective's self-talk describing to the reader (or - in the film - to the viewer) what he is doing and feeling. ▪ Legal thriller:A sub-genre of thriller and crime fiction in which the major characters are lawyers and their employees. The system of justice itself is always a major part of these works, at times almost functioning as one of the characters. In this way, the legal system provides the framework for the legal thriller much as the system of modern police work does for the police procedural. Usually, crusading lawyers become involved in proving their cases (usually their client's innocence of the crime of which he is accused, or the culpability of a corrupt corporation which has covered up its malfeasance until this point) to such an extent that they imperil their own interpersonal relationships and frequently, their own lives. ▪ Gangster: Literature that focuses on gangs, criminal organizations which provide a level of organization and resources that support much larger and more complex criminal transactions than an individual criminal could achieve. [/size] |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:57pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
EROTICA Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of human sexual relationships which have the power to or are intended to arouse the reader sexually. Such erotica takes the form of novels, short stories, poetry, true-life memoirs, and sex manuals. A common feature of the genre are transgressive sexual fantasies on such themes as prostitution, orgies, homosexuality, sado-masochism, cross-dressing, incest and many other taboo subjects and fetishes, which may or may not be expressed in explicit language. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:59pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
[size=13pt]FANTASY  Fairy tales and legends, such as Dobrynya Nikitich's rescue of Zabava Putyatichna from the dragon Gorynych, have been an important source for fantasy. A fantasy story is about magic or supernatural forces, rather than technology, though it often is made to include elements of other genres, such as science fiction elements, for instance computers or DNA, if it happens to take place in a modern or future era. Depending on the extent of these other elements, the story may or may not be considered to be a "hybrid genre" series; for instance, even though the Harry Potter series canon includes the requirement of a particular gene to be a wizard, it is referred to only as a fantasy series. ▪ Bangsian: a fantasy genre which concerns the use of famous literary or historical individuals and their interactions in the afterlife. It is named for John Kendrick Bangs, who often wrote in this genre. ▪ Contemporary Fantasy: (also known as modern fantasy or indigenous fantasy) a sub-genre of fantasy, set in the present day. These terms are used to describe stories set in the putative real world (often referred to as consensus reality) in contemporary times, in which magic and magical creatures exist, either living in the interstices of our world or leaking over from alternate worlds. ▪ Urban Fantasy: a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods, as well as fictional settings. The prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a city. ▪ Dark fantasy: a subgenre of fantasy which can refer to literary, artistic, and filmic works that combine fantasy with elements of horror. The term can be used broadly to refer to fantastical works that have a dark, gloomy atmosphere or a sense of horror and dread and a dark, often brooding, tone. ▪ Fables: A type of narration demonstrating a useful truth. Animals speak as humans, legendary, supernatural tale. ▪ Fairy Tales: A literary genre about various magical creatures, environments, etcetera. ▪ Epic/High fantasy: Mythical stories with highly developed characters and story lines. ▪ Heroic fantasy: sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Frequently, the protagonist is reluctant to be a champion, is of low or humble origin, and has royal ancestors or parents but does not know it. Though events are usually beyond their control, they are thrust into positions of great responsibility where their mettle is tested in a number of spiritual and physical challenges. ▪ Legends: Stories, oftentimes of a national hero or other folk figure, which have a basis in fact, but also contain imaginative material. ▪ Magical girl: Popular in Japan, of girls who uses magic in either their training, idol stardom or even to fight evil. ▪ Mythic fiction: Literature that is rooted in, inspired by, or that in some way draws from the tropes, themes and symbolism of myth, folklore, and fairy tales.[1] The term is widely credited to Charles de Lint and Terri Windling. Mythic fiction overlaps with urban fantasy and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but mythic fiction also includes contemporary works in non-urban settings. Mythic fiction refers to works of contemporary literature that often cross the divide between literary and fantasy fiction. ▪ Science fantasy: A story with mystical elements that are scientifically explainable, or which combines science fiction elements with fantasy elements. It should be noted that science fiction was once actually referred to under this name, but that it is no longer used to denote that genre, and has somewhat fallen out of favor as a genre descriptor. ▪ Sword and planet: A subgenre of science fantasy that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring Earthmen as protagonists. There is a fair amount of overlap between "Sword & Planet" and "planetary romance" although some works are considered to belong to one and not the other. In general, Planetary Romance is considered to be more of a Space Opera subgenre, influenced by the likes of A Princess of Mars yet more modern and technologically savvy, while Sword & Planet more directly imitates the conventions established by Burroughs in the Mars series. ▪ Dying Earth: A sub-subgenre of science fantasy which takes place either at the end of life on Earth or the End of Time, when the laws of the universe themselves fail. More generally, the Dying Earth sub-genre encompasses science fiction works set in the far distant future in a milieu of stasis or decline. Themes of world-weariness, innocence (wounded or otherwise), idealism, entropy, (permanent) exhaustion/depletion of many or all resources (such as soil nutrients), and the hope of renewal tend to pre-dominate ▪ Sword and sorcery: A blend of heroic fantasy, adventure, and frequent elements of the horrific in which a mighty barbaric warrior hero is pitted against both human and supernatural adversaries. Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Cimmerian, Kull of Atlantis, the Pictish king Bran Mak Morn, etc. is generally acknowledged as the founder of the genre, chiefly through his writings for Weird Tales and other 1920s and 1930s pulp magazines. ▪ Wuxia: A distinct quasi-fantasy sub-genre of the martial arts genre. [/size] |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 12:59pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
[size=13pt] HISTORICAL A story about a real person or event. Often, they are written in a text book format, which may or may not focus on solely that person or event. ▪ Biography: The details of the life story of a real person, told by someone else. ▪ Autobiography: Essentially the same as a biography, with the exception that the story is written by the person who is the subject of the story. ▪ Memoir: Similar to autobiography, with the exception that it is told more "from memory", i.e. it is how the person personally remembers and feels about their life or a stage in their life, more than the exact, recorded details of that period. Though memoirs are often more subjective than autobiography works, memoirs are generally still considered to be nonfiction works. There are also some fiction works that purport to be the "memoirs" of fictional characters as well, done in a similar style, however, these are in a separate genre from their nonfiction counterparts. ▪ Historical fiction: A story that takes place in the real world, with real world people, but with several fictionalized or dramatized elements. This may or may not crossover with other genres; for example, fantasy fiction or science fiction may play a part, as is the case for instance with the novel George Washington's Socks, which includes time travel elements. ▪ Alternate history: A more extreme variant of historical fiction which posits a "what if" scenario in which some historical event occurs differently (or not at all), thus altering the course of history; for instance, "What if Nazi Germany had won World War II?" is an alternate history concept that has had treatment in fiction. Alternate History is sometimes (though not universally) referred to as a subgenre of science fiction or speculative fiction, and like historical fiction, may include more fantastical elements (for instance, the Temeraire series uses the fantasy element of dragons to create an Alternate History plot set during the Napoleonic Era). ▪ Counterfactual history: Referred to as virtual history, it is a recent form of historiography which attempts to answer "what if" questions known as counterfactuals. It seeks to explore history and historical incidents by means of extrapolating a timeline in which certain key historical events did not happen or had an outcome which was different from that which did in fact occur. The purpose of this exercise is to ascertain the relative importance of the event, incident or person the counterfactual hypothesis is negating. ▪ Period piece: This type features historical places, people, or events that may or not be crucial to the story. Because history is merely used as a backdrop, it may be fictionalized to various degrees, but the story itself may be regarded as "outside" history. Genres within this category are often regarded as significant categories in themselves. ▪ Jidaigeki: A story usually set in the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. ▪ Costume drama: A type of drama that especially relies on lavish costumes and designs. This type crosses over with many other genres. It takes place in the past. Normally it involves wars and special memories from the past that are remembered to today. [/size] |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by yemi2plus(m): 1:03pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Why all this reserved? |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 4:05pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
HORROR A horror story is told to deliberately scare or frighten the audience, through suspense, violence or shock. H. P. Lovecraft distinguishes two primary varieties in the "Introduction" to Supernatural Horror in Literature: 1) Physical Fear or the "mundanely gruesome" and 2) the true Supernatural Horror story or the "Weird Tale." The supernatural variety is occasionally called "Dark Fantasy," since the laws of nature must be violated in some way, thus qualifying the story as "fantastic." ▪ Ghost story: A story about the intrusion of the spirits of the dead into the realm of the living. There are sub-genres: The Traditional Haunting, Poltergeists, The Haunted Place or Object (i.e. the hotel in Stephen King's The Shining), or the etching in M. R. James' "The Mezzotint", etc. Some would include stories of Revenants such as W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw." ▪ Monster: A story about a monster, creature or mutant that terrorizes people. Usually, it fits into the horror genre, for instance, Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Although Shelley's Frankenstein is often also considered the first science fiction story (biological science reanimating the dead), it does present a monstrous "creature." Other clear Monster stories are of the creatures of folklore and fable: the Vampire, the Werewolf, the Zombie, etc. Beings such as that depicted in Karloff's The Mummy would also qualify. ▪ Giant monster: A story about a giant monster, similar to the monster genre. However, giant monster stories are generally about a monster big enough to destroy buildings. Some such stories are about two giant monsters fighting each other, a genre known as kaiju in Japan, which is famous for such works after the success of such films and franchises as Godzilla. ▪ Occult stories: Stories that touch upon the adversaries of Good, especially the "Enemies" of the forces of righteousness as expressed in any given religious philosophy. Hence, stories of devils, demons, demonic possession, dark witchcraft, evil sorcerers or warlocks, and figures like the Antichrist would qualify. The nature of such stories presupposes the existence of the side of Good and the existence of a deity to be opposed to the forces of Evil. ▪ Slasher: A horror genre featuring a usually male serial killer or other psychopath as an antagonist, methodically killing a number of vulnerable, often female protagonists in succession. Dramatic suspense is heightened by the victim's obliviousness of the killer. The victims are typically in isolated settings and often engaged in sexual activity previous to the attacks. The "slasher" kills his victims by stealthily sneaking up on them and then bloodily stabbing and slicing them to death with a sharp object, such as a Chef's knife. Gender roles in slasher films are of particular interest in feminist film theory which has extensively examined the trope of the Final girl. ▪ Survival horror: A horror story about a protagonist who is put in a risky and life threatening situation that he or she must endure, often as a result of things such as zombies or other monsters, and the rest of the plot is how the hero or heroes overcome this. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 4:07pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
PARANOID Paranoid fiction is works of literature that explore the subjective nature of reality and how it can be manipulated by forces in power. These forces can be external, such as a totalitarian government, or they can be internal, such as a character's mental illness or refusal to accept the harshness of the world he is in. ************* PHILOSOPHYCAL Philosophical fiction is fiction in which a significant proportion of the work is devoted to a discussion of the sort of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy. These might include the function and role of society, the purpose of life, ethics or morals, the role of art in human lives, and the role of experience or reason in the development of knowledge. Philosophical fiction works would include the so-called novel of ideas, including a significant proportion of science fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, and Bildungsroman. The modus operandi seems to be to use a normal story to simply explain difficult and/or dark parts of human life. ▪ Bildungsroman: A coming-of-age novel presenting the psychological, moral and social shaping of the personality of a character, usually the protagonist. The genre arose during the German Enlightenment. ******************** POLITICAL Political fiction is a subgenre of fiction that deals with political affairs. Political fiction has often used narrative to provide commentary on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction often "directly criticize an existing society or... present an alternative, sometimes fantastic, reality." Prominent pieces of political fiction have included the totalitarian dystopias of the early 20th century such as Jack London's The Iron Heel and Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here. Equally influential, if not more so, however, have been earlier pieces of political fiction such as Gulliver's Travels (1726), Candide (1759) and Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Political fiction frequently employs the literary modes of satire, often in the genres of Utopian and dystopian fiction or social science fiction. ▪ Utopian fiction: The creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel ▪ Dystopian fiction: The creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia, as the setting for a novel ▪ Survivalism: The creation of world where traditional society has collapsed usually due to some post apocalyptic or doomsday scenario, as a setting for a novel ***************** RoMANCE Traditionally, a romance story involves chivalry and adventure. In modern writing, a story about character's relationships, or engagements (a story about character development and interpersonal relationships rather than adventures). It has produced a wide array of subgenres, the majority of which feature the mutual attraction and love of a man and a woman as the main plot, and have a happy ending. This genre, much like fantasy fiction, is broad enough in definition that it is easily and commonly seen combined with other genres, such as comedy, fantasy fiction, realistic fiction, or action-adventure. ▪ Contemporary romance ▪ Historical romance ▪ Romantic suspense ▪ Paranormal romance ▪ Science Fiction romance ▪ Fantasy romance ▪ Time-travel romances ▪ Inspirational romance ▪ Multicultural romance ▪ Erotic romance ************* SLICE OF LIFE A Slice of Life is a story that might have no plot, but represents a portion of (everyday) life. It uses naturalistic representation of real life, sometimes used as an adjective, as in "a play with 'slice of life' dialogue". ************* SPECULATIVE Speculative fiction speculates about worlds that are unlike the real world in various important ways. In these contexts, it generally overlaps one or more of the following: science fiction, fantasy fiction, horror fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history. ▪ Slipstream: Fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction/fantasy and mainstream literary fiction. The term slipstream was coined by cyberpunk author Bruce Sterling in an article originally published in SF Eye #5, July 1989. He wrote: "...this is a kind of writing which simply makes you feel very strange; the way that living in the 20th century makes you feel, if you are a person of a certain sensibility." Slipstream fiction has consequently been referred to as "the fiction of strangeness," which is as clear a definition as any others in wide use. ▪ Supernatural fiction: exploits or requires as plot devices or themes some contradictions of the commonplace natural world and materialist assumptions about it. It includes the traditional ghost story. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is an example of a work of literary fiction that is also largely concerned with supernatural fiction elements, making play of the possibility that they are psychological at root, but requiring the option that they are not for effect. The newer speculative fiction genres of horror fiction and fantasy fiction, growing out of some of the basic propositions and generic conventions, to a certain extent replaced it. ▪ Superhero fiction: deals with superheroes, supervillains, super-powered humans, aliens, or mutants, and their adventures. Distinct from (but often derived from) comic books, animated films, and graphic novels, these are prose stories and full-length novels. Superhero fiction is a type of speculative fiction. The largest and longest running of the corporate series are those associated with the DC Universe and the Marvel Universe. ▪ Utopian and dystopian fiction: The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other speculative fiction genres, and arguably are by definition a type of speculative fiction. More than 400 utopian works were published prior to the year 1900 in the English language alone, with more than a thousand others during the 20th century. ▪ Weird fiction: Speculative literature written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Weird fiction is distinguished from horror and fantasy in that it predates the niche marketing of genre fiction. Because genre or stylistic conventions had not been established, weird tales often blend the supernatural, mythical, and even scientific. British "weird" authors, for example, published their work in mainstream literary magazines even after American pulp magazines became popular. Although "weird fiction" is chiefly a historical description for works through the 1930s, the term has also been used since the 1980s, sometimes to refer to slipstream fiction that blends horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Suppositional fiction is a subcategory in which stories and characters are constrained within an internally consistent world, but this category is not necessarily associated with any particular genre.[1][2][3] A work of suppositional fiction might be science fiction, alternate history, mystery, horror, or even suppositional fantasy, depending on the intent and focus of the author. ********* URBAN Urban fiction, also known as Street lit, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside. Profanity (all of George Carlin's seven dirty words and urban variations thereof), sex and violence are usually explicit, with the writer not shying away from or watering-down the material. In this respect, urban fiction shares some common threads with dystopian or survivalist fiction. Often statements derogatory to white people (or at least what is perceived as the dominant Eurocentric culture and power structure) are made, usually by the characters. However, in the second wave of urban fiction, some variations of this model have been seen. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 4:08pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
[size=13pt]THRILLER A common theme in thrillers involves innocent victims dealing with deranged adversaries, as seen in Hitchcock's film Rebecca (1940), where Mrs. Danvers tries to persuade Mrs. De Winter to leap to her death A Thriller is a story that is usually a mix of fear and excitement. It has traits from the suspense genre and often from the action, adventure or mystery genres, but the level of terror makes it borderline horror fiction at times as well. It generally has a dark or serious theme, which also makes it similar to drama. ▪ Disaster-thriller: A story about mass peril, where the protagonist's job is to both survive, and to save many other people from a grim fate, often a natural disaster such as a storm or volcanic eruption, but which may also be a terrorist attack or epidemic of some sort. ▪ Psychological thriller: emphasizes the psychological condition of the hero that presents obstacles to his objective, rather than the action. Some psychological thrillers are also about complicated stories that try to deliberately confuse the audience, often by showing them only the same confusing or seemingly nonsensical information that the hero gains. ▪ Crime thriller: A story that revolves around the life of detectives, mobs, or other groups associated with criminal events in the story. ▪ Techno-thriller: A story whose theme is usually technology, or the danger behind the technology people use, including the threat of cyber terrorism such as State of Fear. ************* SATIRE Often strictly defined as a literary genre or form, although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent to bring about improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humour in itself so much as an attack on something of which the author strongly disapproves, using the weapon of wit. A very common, almost defining feature of satire is its strong vein of irony or sarcasm, but parody, burlesque, exaggeration, juxtaposition, comparison, analogy, and double entendre are all frequently used in satirical speech and writing. The essential point, however, is that "in satire, irony is militant." This "militant irony" (or sarcasm) often professes to approve (or at least accept as natural) the very things the satirist actually wishes to attack. ********** SCIENCE FICTION Science fiction is similar to fantasy, except stories in this genre use scientific understanding to explain the universe that it takes place in. It generally includes or is centered on the presumed effects or ramifications of computers or machines; travel through space, time or alternate universes; alien life-forms; genetic engineering; or other such things. The science or technology used may or may not be very thoroughly elaborated on; stories whose scientific elements are reasonably detailed, well-researched and considered to be relatively plausible given current knowledge and technology are often referred to as hard science fiction. ▪ Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction: concerned with the end of civilization either through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. Post-apocalyptic fiction is set in a world or civilization after such a disaster. The time frame may be immediately after the catastrophe, focusing on the travails or psychology of survivors, or considerably later, often including the theme that the existence of pre-catastrophe civilization has been forgotten (or mythologized). Post-apocalyptic stories often take place in an agrarian, non-technological future world, or a world where only scattered elements of technology remain. There is a considerable degree of blurring between this form of science fiction and that which deals with false utopias or dystopic societies. ▪ Hard science fiction: where the science is detailed, well-researched, and considered plausible such as Jurassic Park or Prey (novel). ▪ Future noir: A hybrid of other works of fiction combining the film noir and science fiction or cyberpunk genres such as seen in Blade Runner (1982) and The Terminator (1984). It is a form of Neo-noir concentrating more on science fiction themes. The term was coined in The Terminator[citation needed] as the name of a nightclub, Tech Noir. The director James Cameron wanted a name for the particular style he was invoking. ▪ Soft science fiction: not detailed about the science involved, and typically deals more with cultural, social, and/or political interactions. ▪ Christian science fiction: Science fiction with Christian religious themes. ▪ Comic science fiction: exploits the genre's conventions for comic effect. ▪ Military science fiction: told from the point of view of the military, or a main character who is a soldier in the military. It usually has technology far superior to today's, but not necessarily implausible. Military science fiction essentially is the addition of science fiction elements into a military fiction story. (Note that some military science fiction stories fit at least somewhat into the "hard science fiction" sub-genre as well.) ▪ Feminist science fiction: tends to deal with women's roles in society. It poses questions about social issues such as how society constructs gender roles, the role reproduction plays in defining gender and the unequal political, economic and personal power of men and women. Some of the most notable feminist science fiction works have illustrated these themes using utopias to explore a society in which gender differences or gender power imbalances do not exist, or dystopias to explore worlds in which gender inequalities are intensified, thus asserting a need for feminist work to continue. ▪ Libertarian science fiction: focuses on the politics and social order implied by libertarian philosophies with an emphasis on individualism and a limited state—and in some cases, no state whatsoever. As a genre, it can be seen as growing out of the 1930s and 1940s when the science-fiction pulp magazines were reaching their peak at the same time as fascism and communism. While this environment gave rise to dystopian novels such as George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, in the pulps, this influence more often give rise to speculations about societies (or sub-groups) arising in direct opposition to totalitarianism. ▪ Social science fiction: concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society. In other words, it "absorbs and discusses anthropology", and speculates about human behavior and interactions. Exploration of fictional societies is one of the most interesting aspects of science fiction, allowing it to perform predictive and precautionary functions, to criticize the contemporary world and to present solutions, to portray alternative societies and to examine the implications of ethical principles. ▪ Mecha anime: Popularized from Japan, humans pilot giant robots for battle, may even be in space. ▪ Space opera: A story characterized by the extent of space travel and distinguished by the amount of time that protagonists spend in an active, space-faring lifestyle. Firefly, Star Trek, Star Blazers and Star Wars have often been categorized as such. ▪ Science fiction Western: has elements of science fiction in a Western setting. It is different from a Space Western, which is a frontier story indicative of American Westerns, except transposed to a backdrop of space exploration and settlement. ▪ Planetary romance: the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place against the background of a future culture where travel between worlds by spaceship is commonplace; others, particularly the earliest examples of the genre, do not, and invoke flying carpets, astral projection, or other methods of getting between planets. In either case, it is the planetside adventures which are the focus of the story, not the mode of travel. ▪ Space Western: transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers; it is the complement of the science fiction Western, which transposes science fiction themes onto an American Western setting. ▪ Punk: Several different Science Fiction subgenres, normally categorized by distinct technologies and sciences. The themes tend to be cynical or dystopian, and a person, or group of people, fighting the corruption of the government. ▪ Cyberpunk: A futuristic storyline dealing with people who have been physically or mentally enhanced with cybernetic components, often featuring cyborgs or the singularity as a major theme, and generally somewhat cynical or dystopian (hence the "punk" portion of the name). This is often confused or placed with Techno-thriller, which is actually a separate and less specialized genre. ▪ Postcyberpunk: some critics suggest has evolved from cyberpunk. Like its predecessor, postcyberpunk focuses on technological developments in near-future societies, typically examining the social effects of a ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, genetic engineering, modification of the human body, and the continued impact of perpetual technological change. Unlike "pure" cyberpunk, however, the works in this category feature characters who act to improve social conditions or at least protect the status quo from further decay. ▪ Nanopunk: similar bio-punk, but depicts a world where the use of biotechnologies are limited or prohibited, so only nanotechnologies in wide use (while in biopunk bio- and nanotechnologies often coexist). Currently the genre is more concerned with the artistic and physiological impact of nanotechnology, than of aspects of the technology itself which is still in its infancy. Unlike the Cyberpunk, a low-life yet technologically advanced character, the personification of a Nanopunk can be set 'hard' or 'soft', depending on your views of the impact Nanotechnology will have on our future. ▪ Retropunk: As a wider variety of writers began to work with cyberpunk concepts, new sub-genres of science fiction emerged, playing off the cyberpunk label, and focusing on technology and its social effects in different ways. Many derivatives of cyberpunk are retro-futuristic, based either on the futuristic visions of past eras, or more recent extrapolations or exaggerations of the actual technology of those eras. ▪ Atompunk: relates to the pre-digital, cultural period of 1945–65, including mid-century Modernism, the "Atomic Age", the "Space Age", Communism and paranoia in the USA along with Soviet styling, underground cinema, Googie architecture, space and the Sputnik, moon landing, superhero-comics, art & radioactivity, the rise of the US military/industrial complex & the fall-out of Chernobyl. Communist analog atompunk is an ultimate lost world. The Fallout series of computer games is an excellent example of Atompunk. ▪ Dieselpunk: Initially proposed as a genre by the creators of the role-playing game Children of the Sun, dieselpunk refers to fiction inspired by mid-century pulp stories, based on the aesthetics of the interbellum period through World War II (c. 1920–45). Similar to steampunk though specifically characterized by the rise of petroleum power and technocratic perception, incorporating neo-noir elements and sharing themes more clearly with cyberpunk than steampunk. Though the notability of dieselpunk as a genre is not entirely uncontested, installments ranging from the retro-futuristic film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to the 2001 Activision video game Return to Castle Wolfenstein have been suggested as quintessential dieselpunk works of fiction. ▪ Steampunk: A story that takes place around the time steam power was first coming into use. The industrial revolution is a common time frame which steam punk stories take place in, and the steam technology is often actually more advanced than the real technology of time (for instance, Steam Detectives features steam-powered robots). The most immediate form of steampunk subculture is the community of fans surrounding the genre. Others move beyond this, attempting to adopt a "steampunk" aesthetic through fashion, home decor and even music. ▪ Clockpunk: It has been occasionally used to refer to a subgenre of speculative fiction which is similar to steampunk, but deviates in its technology. As with steampunk, it portrays advanced technology based on pre-modern designs, but rather than the steam power of the Industrial Age, the technology used is based on springs, clockwork and similar. Clockpunk is based very intensively on the works of Leonardo da Vinci and as such, it is typically set during the Renaissance. It is regarded as being a type of Steampunk. ▪ Biopunk: A story that is about genetics and biological research (often falling under the horror category). It often focuses on some harmful effects characters have created when they change an animal's code to (unintentionally) create a violent monster. Biopunk emerged during the 1990s and depicts the underground of the biotechnological revolution that was expected to start having a profound impact on humanity in the first half of the 21st century. Biopunk fiction typically describes the struggles of individuals or groups, often the product of human experimentation, against a backdrop of totalitarian governments or megacorporations which misuse biotechnologies as means of social control or profiteering. Unlike cyberpunk, it builds not on information technology but on synthetic biology. [/size] |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 4:09pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
[size=20pt]FaCTIONAL In literature, faction is a text depicted as based on real historical figures, and actual events, which are woven together with fictitious elements. Faction is often considered to be confusing to people who are trying to find facts.[according to whom?] For example, schoolchildren told to look for historical information are liable to be confused by Faction literature. [/size] |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by ERF: 4:20pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Cool Lecture... Buh please let it be not too long, so that we won't do the scanning type of jacking... We Engine ering students will av 2 learn these... Hmmm |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 4:52pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
Pheeeeeew! Now we know where our write ups, stories, essays, books, well everything readable on this sections falls under. Please post the link of your story with the genre its under thanks. Mynd over to you. |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by HumbledbYGrace(f): 4:54pm On Jul 27, 2013 |
E<R>F:you know you have to do a lot of reading when it comes to literature.  Sorry for the epistles though |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by VanTee20(m): 9:01am On Jul 28, 2013 |
HumbledbYGrace: Please post the link of your story with the genre its under thanks. www.nairaland.com/1204532/saviour-adventures-athanasius Title:- The Saviour I : The Adventures of Athanasius. Genre:- Fantasy. Sub-genre:- Sword and Sorcery. Kudos to Mynd, for the nice idea, and HBG, for the cool lecture. 1 Like |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by Mynd44: 9:04am On Jul 28, 2013 |
Okay..keep it coming |
| Re: Literature Section Diary Thread by Asakel(m): 1:19am On Jul 31, 2013 |
Wow! U guys are gallant. |
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