#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by Mary Waibel, Katie L. Carroll, and Kai Strand posting on the first Monday of every month. To participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, and link back to the three host blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.
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WHAT'S IN A NAME? HALL WAYS TALKS GENRES:
When I saw the #InkRipples topic for February, I pulled a Scarlett O'Hara and decided I'd think about that another time. I'll be honest, talking about genres transports me back to library school -- not that THAT is a bad thing. In library school and in terms of books, there were just two genres: fiction and non-fiction. Yay! I like all (two) genres!! I highly recommend books in both genres. Read books in both genres. Post done!
Sub-genres, you say? The library school side of me will tell you that both fiction and non-fiction can be either prose or poetry. Fiction can be further divided into the categories of realism or fantasy, and non-fiction can be sub-divided into various forms of informational writing (biographies, narrative, expository). Everything neat and clean and straight-forward. Any more questions?
These day, writers are busting out the boundaries (hallelujah!), making labeling a book pretty challenging sometimes. I have read fiction with fantasy AND sci-fi elements. Historical fiction with fantasy. Fictional biographies! Contemporary magical realism! WHAAAAT IS HAPPENING?? (whatever it is, isn't it glorious?)
So I say this: what's in a name, anyway? Don't look at the labels, don't box yourself into reading only one so-called genre of books. Go along with the writers who are pushing the boundaries and testing the waters with new ideas and genre mash-ups! I have been trying to take my own advice by going into blind reading some books. (Which sometimes leads me to judging a book by its cover. . . but that's another post.)
When I saw the #InkRipples topic for February, I pulled a Scarlett O'Hara and decided I'd think about that another time. I'll be honest, talking about genres transports me back to library school -- not that THAT is a bad thing. In library school and in terms of books, there were just two genres: fiction and non-fiction. Yay! I like all (two) genres!! I highly recommend books in both genres. Read books in both genres. Post done!
Sub-genres, you say? The library school side of me will tell you that both fiction and non-fiction can be either prose or poetry. Fiction can be further divided into the categories of realism or fantasy, and non-fiction can be sub-divided into various forms of informational writing (biographies, narrative, expository). Everything neat and clean and straight-forward. Any more questions?
These day, writers are busting out the boundaries (hallelujah!), making labeling a book pretty challenging sometimes. I have read fiction with fantasy AND sci-fi elements. Historical fiction with fantasy. Fictional biographies! Contemporary magical realism! WHAAAAT IS HAPPENING?? (whatever it is, isn't it glorious?)
So I say this: what's in a name, anyway? Don't look at the labels, don't box yourself into reading only one so-called genre of books. Go along with the writers who are pushing the boundaries and testing the waters with new ideas and genre mash-ups! I have been trying to take my own advice by going into blind reading some books. (Which sometimes leads me to judging a book by its cover. . . but that's another post.)
I totally agree that labels can be problematic. I love a good mash-up myself.
ReplyDeleteI really like going into a book blind and just not worrying about it!
DeleteThis post is PERFECT! This is everything I couldn't figure out how to say myself. I'll probably end up pointing to it as I continue to explore genre through the month, because - like you asked - WHAAAT IS HAPPENING?!
ReplyDeletetee hee! Thanks and thanks for stopping by, Kai!
Delete