Specific+Genres

=**Specific Genre**=

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List of genres
//Main article: [|Literary genre]

A **genre** (pronounced [|/ˈʒɑːnrə/], also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ ; from [|French] "kind" or "sort", from [|Latin]: //genus// (stem //gener-//)) is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other [|form of art] or [|utterance]. Genres are vague categories with no fixed boundaries, they are formed by sets of conventions, and many works cross into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. The scope of the word "genre" is sometimes confined to [|art] and [|culture], particularly [|literature], but it has a long history in rhetoric as well. In [|genre studies] the concept of genre is not compared to originality. Rather, all works are recognized as either reflecting on or participating in the conventions of genre. //
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Wiki_letter_w.svg/36px-Wiki_letter_w.svg.png width="36" height="36" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w.svg"]] || WIkipedia has posted a detailed article on what literature genres are found in today's literature. Please check back on the main wikipedia site to see if anything additional has been added. ||
 * [|Historical]: A story about a real person or event. Often, they are written in a [|text book] format, which may or may not focus on solely that person or event.
 * [|Biography]: The details of the life story of a real person, told by someone else.
 * [|Autobiography]: Essentially the same as a [|biography], with the exception that the story is written by the person who is the subject of the story.
 * [|Memoir]: Similar to [|autobiography], with the exception that it is told more "from memory", i.e. it is how the person personally remembers and feels about their life or a stage in their life, more than the exact, recorded details of that period. Though memoirs are often more [|subjective] than [|autobiography] works, memoirs are generally still considered to be [|nonfiction] works. There are also some [|fiction] works that purport to be the "memoirs" of [|fictional characters] as well, done in a similar style, however, these are in a separate genre from their nonfiction counterparts.
 * [|Historical Fiction]: A story that takes place in the real world, with real world people, but with several fictionalized or dramatized elements. This may or may not [|crossover] with other genres; for example, [|fantasy fiction] or [|science fiction] may play a part, as is the case for instance with the novel //[|George Washington's Socks]//, which includes [|time travel] elements.
 * [|Alternate history]: A more extreme variant of [|historical fiction] which posits a "what if" scenario in which some historical event occurs differently (or not at all), thus altering the course of [|history]; for instance, "What if the South won the [|American Civil War]?" is an Alternate History concept that has had treatment in fiction. Alternate History is sometimes (though not universally) referred to as a subgenre of [|science fiction] or [|speculative fiction], and like [|historical fiction], may include more fantastical elements (for instance, the //[|Temeraire series] uses the fantasy element of [|dragons] to create an Alternate History plot set during the [|Napoleonic Era]).//
 * [|Period Piece]: This type features historical places, people, or events that may or not be crucial to the story. Because history is merely used as a backdrop, it may be fictionalized to various degrees, but the story itself may be regarded as "outside" history. Genres within this category are often regarded as significant categories in themselves.
 * [|Costume drama]: A type of drama that especially relies on lavish costumes and designs. This type crosses over with many other genres.
 * [|Jidaigeki]: A story usually set in the Edo period of [|Japanese] history, from 1603 to 1868.
 * [|Adventure]: A story about a [|protagonist] who journeys to epic or distant places to accomplish something. It can have many other genre elements included within it, because it is a very open genre.
 * [|Action]: A story, similar to Adventure, but the [|protagonist] usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate situations (including [|explosions], [|fight scenes], daring escapes, etc.). Action and Adventure are usually categorized together (sometimes even as "action-adventure") because they have much in common, and many stories fall under both genres simultaneously (for instance, the [|James Bond] series can be classified as both).
 * [|Superhero]: A modern story about a person or creature who possesses [|supernatural] or [|superhuman] abilities. Often, they use their abilities to [|protect] or [|avenge] others; hence the "[|hero]" portion of the term. It should be noted that while the genre is reasonably common and broadly-definable (it can include [|science fiction], [|fantasy] or both for instance), the //term// "superhero" is in fact technically a trademark (owned jointly) of [|DC Comics] and [|Marvel Comics], who between them coined the term; thus, many games and stories that are not owned in part by either company often refer in-story and often in-title to their characters as "heroes" or other stand-in terms meant to imply their superhuman nature (examples of the former usage include the television series //[|Heroes]// and the video game //[|City of Heroes]//; an example of the latter is //[|The Incredibles]//, which refers to its superheroic characters as "supers"). The genre should not be confused with heroic [|mythology] or [|folkloric] tales, as older, traditional folk characters such as [|Hercules] or [|Robin Hood] generally are not considered to fall under the "superhero" genre.
 * [|Military]: A story about a war or battle that can either be historical or fictional. It usually follows the events a certain warrior goes through during the battle's events.
 * [|Spy fiction]: A story about a secret agent(Spy) or military personnel member who is sent on a secret [|espionage] mission. Usually, they are equipped with special gadgets that prove useful during the mission, and they have special training in things such as [|unarmed combat] or [|computer hacking]. They may or may not work for a specific [|government].
 * [|Swashbuckler]: A story about a [|protagonist] who gets into risky situations. In the story, the protagonist is usually in fights against villains, using weapons. The single-handed [|sword] is most commonly used by the protagonists in this genre.
 * [|Martial arts film]: A story characterized by extensive fighting scenes employing various types of martial arts.
 * [|Kung Fu]: An action story set in China or associated with Chinese martial arts.
 * [|Science Fiction]: A story about technology or the future. It generally includes or is centered on the presumed effects or ramifications of [|computers] or [|machines], travel through [|space], [|time] or [|alternate universes], [|alien] life-forms, [|genetic engineering], or other such things. The science or technology used may or may not be very thoroughly elaborated on; stories whose scientific elements are reasonably detailed, well-researched and considered to be relatively plausible given current knowledge and technology are often referred to as [|hard science fiction]. Owing to the wide breadth of the genre, it very commonly has elements from other genres, such as [|action], [|comedy], [|alternate history], military or spy fiction, and [|fantasy] mixed in, with such combinations often forming new major subgenres in their own right (see below).
 * [|Military Science Fiction]: A story about a war or battle against aliens, monsters or other nations. It usually has technology far superior to today's, but not necessarily implausible. Military Science Fiction essentially is the addition of science fiction elements into a [|military fiction] story.
 * [|Space Opera]: A story characterized by the extent of [|space travel] and distinguished by the amount of time that protagonists spend in an active, spacefaring lifestyle. //[|Star Trek]//, //[|Star Blazers]// and //[|Star Wars]// have often been categorized as such.
 * [|Punk]: An umbrella term, and suffix, for several Science Fiction subgenres, normally categorized by distinct technologies and sciences. The themes tend to be [|cynical] or [|dystopian], and a person, or group of people, fighting the [|corruption] of the government.
 * [|Cyberpunk]: A futuristic storyline dealing with people who have been physically or mentally enhanced with [|cybernetic] components, often featuring [|cyborgs] or [|the singularity] as a major theme, and generally somewhat [|cynical] or [|dystopian] (hence the "punk" portion of the name). This is often confused or placed with [|Techno-thriller], which is actually a separate and less specialized genre.
 * [|Postcyberpunk] describes a subgenre of science fiction which some critics suggest has evolved from [|cyberpunk]. Like its predecessor, [|postcyberpunk] focuses on technological developments in near-future societies, typically examining the social effects of a ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, [|genetic engineering], modification of the human body, and the continued impact of perpetual technological change. Unlike "pure" [|cyberpunk], however, the works in this category feature characters who act to improve social conditions or at least protect the [|status quo] from further decay.
 * [|Dieselpunk]: Initially proposed as a genre by the creators of the role-playing game //[|Children of the Sun],[//12] [|dieselpunk] refers to fiction inspired by mid-century pulp stories and set in a world similar to steampunk though specifically characterized by the rise of petroleum power and technocratic perception, incorporating neo-noir elements and sharing themes more clearly with [|cyberpunk] than [|steampunk]. Though the notability of [|dieselpunk] as a genre is not entirely uncontested, installments ranging from the retro-futuristic film //[|Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow]// to the 2001 Activision video game //[|Return to Castle Wolfenstein]// have been suggested as quintessential [|dieselpunk] works of fiction.
 * [|Steampunk]: A story that takes place around the time [|steam power] was first coming into use. The [|industrial revolution] is a common time frame which [|steam punk] stories take place in, and the steam technology is often actually more advanced than the real technology of time (for instance, //[|Steam Detectives]// features steam-powered robots).
 * [|Clockpunk]: It has been occasionally used to refer to a subgenre of speculative fiction which is similar to [|steampunk], but deviates in its technology. As with [|steampunk], it portrays advanced technology based on pre-modern designs, but rather than the steam power of the [|Industrial Age], the technology used is based on springs, clockwork and similar. [|Clockpunk] is based very intensively on the works of [|Leonardo da Vinci] and as such, it is typically set during the [|Renaissance]. It is regarded as being a type of [|Steampunk].
 * [|Biopunk]: A story that is about genetics and biological research (often falling under the horror category). It focuses on some harmful effects characters have created when they change an animal's code to (unintentionally) create a violent monster.
 * [|Fantasy]: A story about [|magic] and [|supernatural] forces, rather than technology, though it often is made to include elements of other genres, such as [|science fiction] elements, for instance computers or [|DNA], if it happens to take place in a modern or future era. Depending on the extent of these other elements, the story may or may not be considered to be a "hybrid genre" series; for instance, even though the [|Harry Potter] series [|canon] includes the requirement of a particular [|gene] to be a wizard, it is referred to only as a fantasy series.
 * [|Science Fantasy]: A story with mystical elements that are scientifically explainable, or which combines science fiction elements with fantasy elements. It should be noted that [|science fiction] was once actually referred to under this name, but that it is no longer used to denote that genre, and has somewhat fallen out of favor as a genre descriptor.
 * [|High Fantasy]: A story that takes place in a completely different world or universe, having different races, traditions and even religions. Often, there aren't any real world events that tie into the story. The best known example of [|high fantasy] is probably //[|The Lord of the Rings]//.
 * [|Wuxia]: A distinct quasi-fantasy sub-genre of the martial arts genre.
 * [|Romance]: A story about character's relationships, or engagements. It's a story about character development, rather than adventures.
 * [|Crime Fiction]: A story about a crime that is being committed or was committed. It can also be an account of a criminal's life. It often falls into the Action or Adventure genres.
 * [|Mystery]: A story about a detective or person who has to solve a crime that was committed. They must figure out who committed the crime and why. Sometimes, the detective must figure out 'how' the criminal committed the crime if it seems impossible.
 * [|Murder Mystery]: A mystery story which focuses on one type of criminal case: [|homicide]. Usually, there are one or more murder victims, and the detective must figure out who killed them, the same way he or she solves other crimes. They may or may not find themselves or loved ones in danger because of this investigation; the genre often includes elements of the [|suspense story] genre, or of the [|action] and [|adventure] genres.
 * [|Comedy]: A story that tells about a series of funny or comical events, intended to make the audience laugh. It a is very open genre, and thus crosses over with many other genres on a frequent basis.
 * [|Comedy of manners]: A film [|satirizes] the manners and affectations of a [|social class], often represented by [|stock characters]. The plot of the comedy is often concerned with an illicit love affair or some other [|scandal], but is generally less important than its [|witty] [|dialogue]. This form of comedy has a long ancestry, dating back at least as far as [|Shakespeare]'s //[|Much Ado about Nothing]//.
 * [|Parody]: A story that mocks or [|satirizes] other genres, people, [|fictional characters] or works. Such works employ [|sarcasm], [|stereotyping], mockery of scenes, symbols or lines from other works, and the obviousness of meaning in a character's actions. Such stories may be "affectionate parodies" which merely mean to entertain those familiar with the source of the parody... or they may well be intended to undercut the respectability of the original inspiration for the parody by pointing out its [|flaws] (the latter being closer to [|satire]).
 * [|Black comedy]: A parody or satirical story that is based around normally [|taboo] subjects, including [|death], [|murder], [|suicide], [|illicit drugs] and [|war]. So-called "Dead Baby Comedy" sometimes falls under this genre.
 * [|Romantic comedy]: A subgenre which combines the romance genre with comedy, focusing on two or more individuals as they discover and attempt to deal with their [|romantic attractions] to each other. The [|stereotypical] plot line follows the "boy-gets-girl", "boy-loses-girl", "boy gets girl back again" sequence. Naturally there are innumerable variants to this plot (as well as new twists, such as reversing the [|gender roles] in the story), and much of the generally light-hearted comedy lies in the social interactions and [|sexual tension] between the characters, who very often either refuse to admit they are attracted to one another, or must deal with others' [|meddling] in their affairs.
 * [|Comedic Science Fiction]: A comedy that uses [|science fiction] elements or settings, often as a light-hearted (or occasionally vicious) parody of the latter genre.
 * [|Documentary]: A story that re-tells events rather than create them. Usually, it is about true historic events.
 * [|Mockumentary]: A story that isn't about true historical events; rather, it uses the documentary "style" to cover fictional, and generally humorous, events or characters. Very common in film and television, both as a full film or series, or as a brief sequence or episode within a larger work. Examples include //[|Best In Show]// and //[|The Office]//.
 * [|Horror]: A story that is told to deliberately scare or frighten the audience, through suspense, violence or shock.
 * [|Monster]: A story about a monster, creature or mutant that terrorizes people. Usually, it fits into the horror genre, for instance, [|Mary Shelley]'s novel //[|Frankenstein]//.
 * [|Giant Monster]: A story about a giant monster, similar to the monster genre. However, giant monster stories are generally about a monster big enough to destroy buildings. Some such stories are about two giant monsters fighting each other, a genre known as //[|kaiju]// in [|Japan], which is famous for such works after the success of such films and franchises as //[|Godzilla]//.
 * [|Slasher]: A story (generally in [|film]) that usually has an [|antagonist], who is a [|serial killer] or simply [|insane]. The "slasher" stereotypically kills his victims in the movie by slowly creeping up to them, and then quickly killing them with a sharp object, such as a [|Chef's knife]. The genre lead to the creation of the [|Final girl] theory.
 * [|Survival Horror]: A horror story about a protagonist who is put in a risky and life threatening situation that he or she must endure, often as a result of things such as [|zombies] or other monsters, and the rest of the plot is how the hero or heroes overcome this.
 * [|Thriller]: A story that is usually a mix of fear and excitement. It has traits from the [|suspense] genre and often from the [|action], [|adventure] or [|mystery] genres, but the level of terror makes it borderline [|horror fiction] at times as well. It generally has a dark or serious theme, which also makes it similar to drama.
 * [|Disaster]-[|Thriller]: A thriller story about mass peril, where the protagonist's job is to both survive, and to save many other people from a grim fate, often a [|natural disaster] such as a storm or volcanic eruption, but which may also be a [|terrorist] attack or [|epidemic] of some sort.
 * [|Psychological-Thriller]: A thriller that is less about the action, and more about the mental condition of the hero. The hero usually has what seem to be mental problems that get in the way of his objective - which may or may not be real mental instability. Some Psychological Thrillers are also about complicated stories that try to deliberately confuse the audience, often by showing them only the same confusing or seemingly nonsensical information that the hero gains.
 * [|Crime-Thriller]: A thriller story that revolves around the life of detectives, mobs, or other groups associated with criminal events in the story.
 * [|Techno-Thriller]: A thriller story whose theme is usually technology, or the danger behind the technology people use, including the threat of [|cyber terrorism].
 * [|Western]: A story that usually takes place in [|the Wild West].