tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post6274002262597247596..comments2024-02-10T21:34:03.128-05:00Comments on Writer of Wrongs: Which Genres Are Which?GillyBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622344092774777709noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-64732528788183524572013-09-23T10:46:19.857-04:002013-09-23T10:46:19.857-04:00"I'm not the definitive expert on anythin..."I'm not the definitive expert on anything (except Disney lyrics, procrastination, and eating my weight in baked goods" <- Does one really need more in life than this?<br /><br />Bahaha, I like how you call people out as wrong. I didn't really think Cinder was dystopian. However, I basically don't know what that means anymore tbh. Like, Reboot? That society was never utopian. I do not understand. The 5th Wave is definitely post-apocalyptic. All Our Yesterdays strikes me as just sci-fi. I guess Across the Universe is both. Divergent I'd call for of a dystopian fantasy, bc lolz that world building.<br /><br />I wouldn't say fantasy is magic necessarily. I think it's really anything that follows different natural laws than our world does. Or "what if" scenarios like alternative histories.<br /><br />The other thing with contemporary is WHEN is contemporary. Like, is a book set in 2000 still a contemporary or is that historical fiction? Also, depending on how you define it, Jane Austen's novels are contemporaries, because they WERE written in roughly the time they were set. It's confusing and weird. I prefer the term realistic fiction, but that's complex too, because it can cover historicals.<br /><br />BASICALLY, none of these labels mean anything to me anymore. I just put down what the community thinks usually, unless it's so wrong that I cannot.<br /><br />I KNOW NOTHING, LADY BRACKNELLChristinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370486039531015541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-76118188219034083662013-09-16T14:12:13.680-04:002013-09-16T14:12:13.680-04:00Great and very helpful post! I had actually been w...Great and very helpful post! I had actually been wondering about this lately so it was nice to get things cleared up. Thank you :)Book Lover Recommendshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-75419815348217675052013-09-15T23:58:49.903-04:002013-09-15T23:58:49.903-04:00Ooh this is super helpful. I would also throw Magi...Ooh this is super helpful. I would also throw Magical Realism in there - which of course is similar to contemporary but with a wee bit of magical elements thrown in - like with Every Day by David Levithan.Tanya Patricehttp://www.girlxoxo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-52747029489373670332013-09-15T23:07:38.494-04:002013-09-15T23:07:38.494-04:00While you're right that there is some discrimi...While you're right that there is some discrimination against cyborgs in Cinder in particular, that doesn't mean that the futuristic world in those books is dystopian. Just because there are some elements that aren't perfect, doesn't mean the whole society is dystopian. The Handmaid's Tale centers around an imperfect version of society; Cinder, really, does not. The United States has some terrible laws against minorities and women and people of lower income, but it's not a dystopian society. Of course, it's open to interpretation in regards to Cinder, but you'll find that the general consensus is that it's NOT dystopian. Luna, however-- things are pretty dystopian up there.GillyBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622344092774777709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-52068774493339735632013-09-15T20:52:02.512-04:002013-09-15T20:52:02.512-04:00THIS IS THE BESTTHIS IS THE BESTAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08190834232858411230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-9330678849105545562013-09-15T19:25:55.685-04:002013-09-15T19:25:55.685-04:00While I agree with your distinction between Sci Fi...While I agree with your distinction between Sci Fi and Dystopian, I actually disagree with you about Cinder and Scarlet. I think the way that Cyborgs are treated is wrong, in the same way The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian story in which the way women are treated is wrong. In both cases, society was intended to be better as a whole, but I find the way things actually worked out unacceptable.DoingDeweyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09902496432225294188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-15527982446489290652013-09-15T10:40:39.517-04:002013-09-15T10:40:39.517-04:00The only thing I'd add is that 99.9% of the ti...The only thing I'd add is that 99.9% of the time romance has a happy ending. Excellent post!Akilahhttp://theenglishist.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-74416048847517734322013-09-14T22:02:32.881-04:002013-09-14T22:02:32.881-04:00Lovely post. All the people (mostly on Goodreads) ...Lovely post. All the people (mostly on Goodreads) that mix up dystopian with regular old sci-fi annoy me so much. Though I would argue that Across the Universe is semi-dystopian (one dude with complete authority over a sedated populace?). Cinder I can also kind of understand the dystopian opinion, at least for the titular character, given how little rights the cyborg types have (Scarlet is def. not dystopian though, which probably disqualifies the series).<br />Anyway.<br />A+Kirsten!https://www.blogger.com/profile/10348539280521809973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-54325826126885040742013-09-14T13:55:06.135-04:002013-09-14T13:55:06.135-04:00Oh wow, this is SO helpful. Labeling a book can be...Oh wow, this is SO helpful. Labeling a book can be a horror, especially when it comes to all the subgenres in fantasy.Mel@Thedailyprophecyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516514938771433319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-40352549692123142932013-09-14T01:27:31.913-04:002013-09-14T01:27:31.913-04:00I love everything about this post! Except I don...I love everything about this post! Except I don't know if I'd classify DEVIL as a mystery. I'd say it's more a gothic horror with paranormal leanings but that's just me and my head. I normally don't have problems with genres I just get so angry at people who classify everything as dystopian if it takes place in the future.Disquietushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15658895078630107743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-88813873042080930842013-09-13T17:24:42.958-04:002013-09-13T17:24:42.958-04:00I am CONSTANTLY getting dystopian/sci-fi/post-apoc...I am CONSTANTLY getting dystopian/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic type genres mixed up despite them being my favorite genre. This is an awesome guide that I fully agree with. Will definitely be referring back to this when I can't get them all straight (which is often). :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08964968798310433317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-60025415064130547142013-09-12T14:37:13.642-04:002013-09-12T14:37:13.642-04:00Oh my goodness, I'm glad you wrote this! The t...Oh my goodness, I'm glad you wrote this! The thing that always gets me are the mix-ups between dystopians and post-apocalyptic books. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. Sometimes they can overlap, but not always, and the terms are not interchangeable. I admit I probably contribute to this problem, though, because I lump dystopian/post-apoc/utopians into one shelf on GoodReads, but that's because people shopping for a particular kind of book probably don't mind reading across the other genres. <br /><br />Wendy @ <a href="http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2013/09/OWWtour.html" rel="nofollow">The Midnight Garden</a>Wendy Darlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13471461156849725177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-13202872561403827222013-09-12T00:49:53.361-04:002013-09-12T00:49:53.361-04:00This post will forever be bookmarked. Thank you fo...This post will forever be bookmarked. Thank you for spending time to write this. <br /><br />I find it hard with the high and low fantasy and the way you defined it was spectacular. <br /><br />I do see the dystopian/Sci-Fi mixed up a lot mainly because there are so many new books out that fit into the categories.<br /><br />Ashley<br />@Bookz4NerdzAshleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18134470770189263554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-71260776013232597802013-09-11T22:55:52.650-04:002013-09-11T22:55:52.650-04:00Great post. I found it very helpful. Thank you!Great post. I found it very helpful. Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-79633902678585467932013-09-11T20:23:52.049-04:002013-09-11T20:23:52.049-04:00I found this very helpful! I also get confused wit...I found this very helpful! I also get confused with Dystopian/ Sci Fi.. Thanks for the post!Sarah(Sarahandherbookshelves)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03908508332244204002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-12194315385644618212013-09-11T13:20:47.585-04:002013-09-11T13:20:47.585-04:00And there's also the subset of PORTAL fantasy,...And there's also the subset of PORTAL fantasy, which I guess is probably part of low fantasy. So many... just... ALL THE GENRES. ALL OF THEM.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04336935386866249440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-66764197201990424282013-09-11T12:36:59.673-04:002013-09-11T12:36:59.673-04:00Awesome post! The categories still confuse me a bi...Awesome post! The categories still confuse me a bit but after reading this very informative post, I know a lot more about them than I did before reading this post. You explained everything so well.Alexia Boesenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084749931224225112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-20815437240979634032013-09-11T12:09:27.687-04:002013-09-11T12:09:27.687-04:00I love this post! (And not just for the gif from P...I love this post! (And not just for the gif from Princess Bride because 75% of male patrons ask me that when I recommend a book) You picked great examples and explained the murky stuff well. So many good books represented! The paragraph about YA vs. NA was awesome because people really don't get that. The media is so inaccurate in its portrayal of YA and MG books that it's really tough to have actual conversations about them with adults who don't read YA. Jenn Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01062329070473085522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-84009202693754519612013-09-11T11:51:19.015-04:002013-09-11T11:51:19.015-04:00I'm so glad you pointed out that YA and NA are...I'm so glad you pointed out that YA and NA are categories and not genres. Personally, I have a hard time placing stories with fringe science and parallel universes. Take Pivot Point, for example. I don't necessarily see it as paranormal, but I have no idea what else to call it.<br /><br />Another thing is zombies. They're not exactly paranormal creatures, so I usually lump them all together as "apocalyptic", even though I'm not even sure if that's a genre. <br /><br />I was confused about Cinder, because there is some world rearrangement going in, but there are no evil governments, so it's indeed not a true dystopian. Ah, confusing classification is confusing.<br /><br />Keep spreading the word, Gillian. People (like me) need it.Hmmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13749068115487029934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-12226147912133374232013-09-11T11:41:50.832-04:002013-09-11T11:41:50.832-04:00I think I do agree with you and you've actuall...I think I do agree with you and you've actually clarifyed a pair of things I wasn't too sure about, and the way you explained it makes a lot of sense! Great post!Pilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05235628363081574896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-56512998980703414132013-09-11T11:35:59.162-04:002013-09-11T11:35:59.162-04:00I'm kind of in love with this posts. Which kil...I'm kind of in love with this posts. Which kills me, because you know, you wrote it. :PAshleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06318743169252060511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-48267707904514402422013-09-11T10:25:46.087-04:002013-09-11T10:25:46.087-04:00Best post ever!Best post ever!Bystanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12600291606916740623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-3300108885552470032013-09-11T09:05:54.149-04:002013-09-11T09:05:54.149-04:00I also heard a definition that there is Epic Fanta...I also heard a definition that there is Epic Fantasy (generally the stereotypical fantasy elements that usually involve some quest) and High Fantasy (which usually involves the ruling class of a fantasy world). I'm not sure that it's RIGHT, but it works, too.<br /><br />This was a great explanation, though. And THANK YOU for the "New Adult/Young Adult are not genres" clarification!!Wandering Meanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05361107666927948099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-76972398556158280722013-09-11T07:58:07.407-04:002013-09-11T07:58:07.407-04:00This post is super great! I'm going to share i...This post is super great! I'm going to share it on Twitter so others can check it out. :)Jessica L. Tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00121327467707828026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4932292247636823526.post-33751961982433989082013-09-11T05:03:33.317-04:002013-09-11T05:03:33.317-04:00Amazing post! Very helpful!Amazing post! Very helpful!Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06984950831483838192noreply@blogger.com