Fantasy,Mystery,

or Videogame?

I’m a …

Harry Potter fan

fantasy fiction fan

mystery fan

videogames fan

peanut butter, maple syrup, and Blue Jays fan

What is the Harry Potter series?

it’s a Young Adult series, obviously

except that, by the end, it isn’t really

but let’s just take Young Adult as a given

So what is the Harry Potter series?

heroic fantasy? mystery? videogame?

All of which brings us to …

GENRE

Memoir

Autobiographical novel

Slave narrative

Contemporary slave narrative

Neo-slave narrative

Metafiction

Nonfiction novel

Biographical novel

Autobiographical novel

Semi-autobiographical novel

Occupational fiction

Hollywood novel

Legal thriller

Medical fiction

Medical romance

Musical fiction

Lab lit

Sports fiction

Philosophical fiction

Existentialist fiction

Novel of ideas

Philosophical horror

Platonic Dialogues

Political fiction

Political satire

Pulp fiction

Religious fiction

Christian fiction

Christian science fiction

Contemporary Christian fiction

Luciferian literature

Saga

Family saga

Adventure novel

Epic

Imaginary voyage

Lost World

Men's adventure

Milesian tale

Picaresque novel (picaresco)

Robinsonade

Sea story

Children's literature

Young-adult fiction

Comic novel

Black comedy

Parody

Romantic comedy

Satire

Picaresque novel

Political satire

Education fiction

Campus novel

Campus murder mystery

School story

Varsity novel

Experimental fiction

Antinovel

Ergodic literature

Erotic fiction

Erotic romance

Picaresque novel (picaresco)

Women's erotica

Historical fiction

Historical romance

Metahistorical romance

Historical whodunnit

Holocaust novel

Plantation tradition

Prehistoric fiction

Regency novel

GENRE Speculative fiction

Science fiction

Hard science fiction

Soft science fiction

Space opera

Punk

Cyberpunk

Dieselpunk

Atompunk

Nanopunk

Postcyberpunk

Steampunk

Clockpunk

Biopunk

Alternative universe

Scientific romance

Horror

Gothic fiction

Paranormal

Southern Gothic

Splatterpunk

Fantasy

by Theme

Dark fantasy

Magic realism

Mythic

Paranormal Fantasy

Superhero fantasy

Sword and sorcery

By setting

Epic Fantasy / High fantasy

Low fantasy

Prehistoric fantasy

Historical fantasy

Women's Fiction

Romance novel

Chick lit

Bride lit

Brit lit (also known as Singleton Lit)

Christian chick lit

Ethnic Chick Lit

Asian chick lit

Black chick lit

Indian chick lit

Lad lit

Hen lit

Mommy lit

Mystery chick lit

Teen Chick Lit

Workplace tell-all

Widow lit

Tragedy

Melodrama

Urban fiction

Thriller

Conspiracy fiction

Legal thriller

Medical thriller

Political thriller

Spy fiction

Psychological thriller

Techno-thriller

General Cross Genre

Historical romance

Juvenile fantasy

LGBT Pulp Fiction

Gay male pulp fiction

Lesbian pulp fiction

Lesbian erotica fiction

Paranormal romance

Romantic fantasy

Tragicomedy

GENRE

a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, style, or audience.

dictionary.com, with my modifications

a rhetorical construct "centered not on the substance or the form of discourse but on the action it is used to accomplish“

Caroline Miller, “Genre as Social Action”

Uses of Genre

Uses of Genre

What do genres do?

they guide audiences, help them select, given them knownsrather than unknowns, satisfy specific desires

they guide authors, publishers, composers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, game designers/developersthey constrain and limit … but they can test creativity

The Heroic Fantasy

herovillainquestopen settingsmagic and powerscombatoverwhelming odds againstsingle solutionunknown -> known – world learned through heroproblem -> solutionorder -> chaos -> order – world has changed

The Mysterymurderervictimmethodreasonsolver and solver’s helpersconfined settingclues and false trailsdistractions and the eureka momentsingle solutionunknown -> known – world learned through solverproblem -> solutionchaos -> order OR order -> chaos -> order

The Videogame

player-characternon-player characterssupernatural powers and abilitiesconfined settings and/or expansive settingslevels and player-character developmentmultiple steps to single solution - small bosses to big bossunknown -> known - world learned through characterproblem -> solutionchaos -> order – post-story implied but not shown

Potter Clips

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Potter Clips

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firejourney to Voldemortconfrontation with Voldemort

Harry Potter and the Converging Genreshero, villain, quest, magic and powers, combat, overwhelming odds against, problem -> solutionunknown -> known – world learned through heroopen settings, single solutionorder -> chaos -> order – world has changed

murderer, victim, method (modified), reason, solver and solver’s helpers, confined setting, clues and false trains, distractions and the eureka moment, single solutionunknown -> known – world learned through solverchaos -> order OR order -> chaos -> order

player-character, non-player characters, supernatural powers and abilities, levels and player-character development, multiple steps to single solution - small bosses to big bossunknown -> known - world learned through characterconfined settings and/or expansive settingschaos -> order – post-story implied but not shown

So what is Harry Potter?

hero, villain, quest, solver and solver’s helpers,player-character, non-player charactersmurderer, victim, method (modified), reasonmagic and powers, combatlevels and player-character development,overwhelming odds againstconfined setting, clues and false trains,distractions and the eureka moment,multiple steps to single solution - small bosses to big bossunknown -> known – world learned through herochaos -> order – world has changed

hero, villain, quest, solver and solver’s helpers,player-character, non-player charactersmurderer, victim, method (modified), reasonmagic and powers, combatlevels and player-character development,overwhelming odds againstconfined setting, clues and false trains,distractions and the eureka moment,multiple steps to single solution - small bosses to big bossunknown -> known – world learned through herochaos -> order – world has changedthe eucatastrophe – the joy of the happy ending

Fantasy,Mystery,

and Videogame?