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Literature vocabulary · Core Concepts

Genre

Meaning in literature, with examples

/ˈʒɒnrə/nounCore term

In literature, genre means: A category of literature defined by shared features of form, style or subject, such as poetry, drama and the novel, or crime, fantasy and romance.

In Turkish: tür, edebi tür

How it is used

Used by critics, bookshops and publishers. Works belong to, mix, blend or break a genre. 'Genre fiction' refers to popular categories like crime, thriller, fantasy and romance, as opposed to 'literary fiction'. Critics also talk about the conventions of a genre.

Example sentences

  1. The novel mixes two genres: the detective story and the family saga.

  2. Which genre do you usually read when you're on holiday?

Common collocations

  • literary genre
  • genre fiction
  • blend genres
  • conventions of the genre
  • cross-genre
  • fictionStories, such as novels and short stories, that describe imaginary events and people rather than real ones.
  • novelA long story written in prose that describes imaginary people and events, usually long enough to fill a whole book and to develop characters in detail.
  • poetryLiterary writing arranged in lines that uses rhythm, sound, imagery and often rhyme to express feelings and ideas in a concentrated way.
  • dramaLiterature written to be performed by actors on a stage, telling a story through dialogue and action; also a single serious play.
  • literary movementA group of writers in a particular period who share similar ideas, styles and aims, such as Romanticism, Realism or Modernism.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Core Concepts

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