A map of genres

Why books are sorted into genres

Genre began as a classification system for ancient Greek literature. In modern publishing, genre fiction is written to fit a recognised genre so that it appeals to readers already familiar with it, and it is also called formula fiction or commercial fiction. In the book trade the same idea is often called category fiction, with genres serving as shelf headings in bookshops. These labels usually imply more emphasis on plot and entertainment than on character or theme, and critics have often regarded genre fiction as having less artistic merit than literary fiction.^[1]

One way to understand genre is as a shared set of expectations between writer and reader. A reader of romance expects a love story, and a reader of crime fiction expects a crime to be investigated. The categories used by the book trade are therefore practical tools and not scientific classes. The reference articles cited in this guide describe each category in broad terms and repeatedly note that its edges are indistinct, which is why genre is best treated as a convenient map and not a fixed set of rules.^[1][2][3]

Literary fiction as a label

Literary fiction, also called serious fiction or non-genre fiction, is usually described as more character-driven than plot-driven, concerned with the human condition, or regarded by critics as serious art. It is typically contrasted with genre fiction. The reference article states that there is no widely agreed definition and that the label is shaped by social norms about what counts as respectable. Some literary works are described as more concerned with style and the complexity of the writing, and the critic Terrence Rafferty is quoted as saying that literary fiction allows itself to dawdle.^[2]

The distinction has critics. John Updike disliked the label, saying his works are literary simply because they are written in words. James Gunn noted that genre fans and critics see the term as carrying overtones of dullness, and Adam Roberts argued that literary novels sell poorly compared with science fiction and fantasy. The article also records that Jane Austen and Margaret Atwood are seen by some as writing literary versions of romance or speculative fiction. The practical lesson is that literary fiction is a contested category and not a neutral description.^[2]

Working definitions of the main genres

Crime fiction covers narratives centred on criminal acts, especially the investigation of a crime, often a murder, by an amateur or professional detective, and suspense and mystery are nearly ubiquitous in it. Its subgenres include the detective story, of which the whodunit is the most common form, the locked-room mystery, the police procedural, in which the detective is a member of the police, and the legal thriller. Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) is credited with shaping the framework of the classic detective story.^[3]

The Romance Writers of America sets two requirements for a romance novel: the main plot must follow two people developing romantic love, and the ending must be emotionally satisfying and optimistic. Science fiction is harder to fix. Lester del Rey wrote that its limits are not easily delineated, and Damon Knight put it that science fiction is what we point to when we say it. Asimov framed it around human reactions to changes in science and technology. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror and uses magic or supernatural elements, while horror aims to frighten or disgust its readers.^[4][5][1]

Why categories blur

The reference sources describe the boundaries as indistinct. Crime fiction is usually distinguished from mainstream, historical and science fiction, but the lines between them are blurry. Romance has subgenres that cross into others, including romantic suspense, paranormal romance, science fiction romance and fantasy romance. Some early works, such as Bacon's New Atlantis, are considered science fantasy, and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern is described as a science fantasy series.^[3][4][5]

Slipstream is sometimes thought to lie between genre and non-genre fiction, and some authors classified as literary have written genre novels under pseudonyms. The literary fiction article also notes that historical fiction and magic realism are called genres without being counted as genre fiction, which shows that even the terms used to draw the line are unsettled. For a reader, the sensible approach is to treat a genre label as a starting description and not as a guarantee of what a book will do. Readers who follow a favourite author across several categories will already know this from experience.^[1][2]