Tag Archives: Genre Theory
A Rant on Exclusion and Genre Pedantry
The other day, I read a fascinating (and wonderfully titled) essay by Simon Spanton, Deputy Publishing Director for Gollancz, wherein he discusses speculative fiction’s relationship to mainstream literary fiction. At first, the thought of yet another volley in the interminable … Continue reading
Ephemeral Horror and the Diffusion of Genre Markers
Content, when it comes to genre taxonomy, is king: we categorize stories based on the conventions they employ and the devices that show up within their texts. Spaceships, time travel, aliens? Let’s call it science fiction. Magic and knights? Let’s … Continue reading
Why Process, Criticism, and Theory Can Be Good for All Writers
What’s the fastest way to start an argument with… The Professor? Advocate an analytically-driven, engineered writing process. Chris? Advocate process-less, instinctive writing (“Just write!”) Obviously, this is one subject on which my wife and I disagree. Sometimes quite vehemently. And … Continue reading
REVIEW: Graphs, Maps, Trees by Franco Moretti and a Critical Wish List
Title: Graphs, Maps, Trees: Abstract Models for Literary History Author: Franco Moretti Pub Date: July 21, 2005 Chris’ Rating (5 possible): An Attempt at Categorization If You Like… / You Might Like… Morphology of the Folktale Anatomy Of Criticism Rhetorics … Continue reading
Speculative Fiction 2012 Contributors Announced!
With this cold I’ve got, I’m a little late bringing you this exciting news (but better late than never…): Over at The Staffer’s Book Review, Justin Landon and Jared Shurin (from Pornokitsch) have announced the lineup of contributors to Speculative … Continue reading →