Genre discussion threads?

[TheLobster]

Does anyone have any suggestions for more genres to discuss?

Maybe we should address the elephant in the bookstore called romantasy? @sijopunk would approve.

 

[StillStunned]

Maybe we should address the elephant in the bookstore called romantasy? @sijopunk would approve.

I had the same thought. I'm not sure I know enough about the genre to kick off the discussion though.

 

[StillStunned]

Does anyone want to try Westerns, Thrillers, Detectives, Romance, YA, Horror?

 

[AG31]

I don't have a suggestion for a discussion, but this might be the place to ask a random question. What is the genre characterized by taking place in either a medieval or Greco/Roman ish environment, as cued by made up clothing and place names, but with no super natural aspects. I suppose another way of describing it would be European culture prior to the advent of guns.

 

[TheLobster]

I don't have a suggestion for a discussion, but this might be the place to ask a random question. What is the genre characterized by taking place in either a medieval or Greco/Roman ish environment, as cued by made up clothing and place names, but with no super natural aspects. I suppose another way of describing it would be European culture prior to the advent of guns.

Greco/Roman adventure story would be sword and sandal. But if you want to also add medieval to it, then I'm not sure it has a joint name.

 

[AG31]

Greco/Roman adventure story would be sword and sandal. But if you want to also add medieval to it, then I'm not sure it has a joint name.

Didn't they wear sandals and use swords in medieval times?

 

[TheLobster]

Didn't they wear sandals and use swords in medieval times?

Nah, Northern Europe was too cold for that

 

[AG31]

Nah, Northern Europe was too cold for that

OK, let's call it swords and sandals and socks.

 

[StillStunned]

What is the genre characterized by taking place in either a medieval or Greco/Roman ish environment, as cued by made up clothing and place names, but with no super natural aspects.

Maybe faux-historical or alternative history, depending on how closely the story resembles accepted history.

 

[StillStunned]

OK, let's call it swords and sandals and socks.

The *real* reason why the Greeks and Romans despised barbarians!

 

[AG31]

Maybe faux-historical or alternative history, depending on how closely the story resembles accepted history.

In my mind it doesn't resemble accepted history at all. Does "world building" have to involve physical aspects that have never been seen before? If not, then worlds are built.

 

[StillStunned]

In my mind it doesn't resemble accepted history at all. Does "world building" have to involve physical aspects that have never been seen before? If not, then worlds are built.

I'd say faux-historical.

Pseudo-history distorts and makes up historical events, and is generally intended as scholarly writing rather than fiction. Alternate history assumes a diverging path of history from a specific event, or from a specific difference compared with actual history, so it has a pretty strong foundation in fact.

But if you just have a mundane world with people called Euclemenes and Chiorastra who wear togas and drink wine from amphoras, I'd call it faux-historical. But interestingly, I can't really find an official definition.

 

[AG31]

I'd say faux-historical.

Pseudo-history distorts and makes up historical events, and is generally intended as scholarly writing rather than fiction. Alternate history assumes a diverging path of history from a specific event, or from a specific difference compared with actual history, so it has a pretty strong foundation in fact.

But if you just have a mundane world with people called Euclemenes and Chiorastra who wear togas and drink wine from amphoras, I'd call it faux-historical. But interestingly, I can't really find an official definition.

Why not Swords and Sandals? @lobster suggested it. Is it not a real genre? Or is there only Swords and Sorcery?

 

[StillStunned]

Why not Swords and Sandals? @lobster suggested it. Is it not a real genre? Or is there only Swords and Sorcery?

According to Wikipedia "Sword and Sandal" refers to movies (and generally Italian movies specifically). I've never seen it used to apply to anything after the Roman Empire (so Egyptian, Biblical, Mesopotamian, Persian, Greek and Roman eras and the like), but the Wiki gives examples right up to the Early Modern period.

But the main thing is that they're adventure stories, which is where the "sword" bit comes in. If your story in a faux-historical setting is a palace drama, or a mystery, or a coming-of-age story or something like that, presumably it doesn't fit the definition.

But note that I'm no expert on this. If anybody can shed more light or offer other opinions, I'd love to hear them.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

According to Wikipedia "Sword and Sandal" refers to movies (and generally Italian movies specifically). I've never seen it used to apply to anything after the Roman Empire (so Egyptian, Biblical, Mesopotamian, Persian, Greek and Roman eras and the like), but the Wiki gives examples right up to the Early Modern period.

But the main thing is that they're adventure stories, which is where the "sword" bit comes in. If your story in a faux-historical setting is a palace drama, or a mystery, or a coming-of-age story or something like that, presumably it doesn't fit the definition.

But note that I'm no expert on this. If anybody can shed more light or offer other opinions, I'd love to hear them.

I'm going to call western fiction spaghetti westerns from now on, even when they're not Italian films, just to trigger the same pedantic muscle that makes me say Solarpunk is utopian fiction instead of -punk

 

[TheLobster]

I'm going to call western fiction spaghetti westerns from now on, even when they're not Italian films, just to trigger the same pedantic muscle that makes me say Solarpunk is utopian fiction instead of -punk

In this vein, I humbly propose that we call all the ancient and medieval fiction aesthetic horsebackpunk.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

In this vein, I humbly propose that we call all the ancient and medieval fiction aesthetic horsebackpunk.

 

[Britva415]

Maybe we should address the elephant in the bookstore called romantasy? @sijopunk would approve.

It might not have been prefixed "On genre:" but it seems like we recently did have a thread about that.

 

[Britva415]

In this vein, I humbly propose that we call all the ancient and medieval fiction aesthetic horsebackpunk.

Authors be haymaxxing.

 

[Britva415]

pedantic muscle that makes me say Solarpunk is utopian fiction instead of -punk

I don't find that pedantic at all.

But maybe Solarpunk is the new euphemism for not-punk music acts like Billy Idol and (fight me) Green Day.

 

[StillStunned]

It might not have been prefixed "On genre:" but it seems like we recently did have a thread about that.

Yes, this thread from last year.

More recently we've had one about the Romance category, one about the Fantasy genre, and one about Cinnamon Roll Boyfriends that might have wandered into Romantasy terrain.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'd be curious how other writers think about non-erotic as a genre and whether it should be treated as its own category rather than being mixed in with categories based on sexual interests, kinks and fetishes.

The challenge as I see it is the degree of eroticism.

There are stories where the erotic elements are entirely mental within the characters' minds (memories, fantasies, etc.). Then there are stories where the erotic elements are merely teased; with fade-to-black, leave it to the readers' imagination as the resolution.

If you are considering anything that isn't a clear "stroker" as being non-erotic, I believe that dilutes the genre as many define it. The top stories in categories such as Loving Wives have no erotic content at all, yet readers have clearly embraced them because the stories absolutely meet the definition of the categories they are published in - just minus the sex. Would a BDSM story that dealt solely with the dom/sub relationship, yet excluded any sexual content still fit within that category?

So, I guess my respectful question to you would be, "How do you define non-erotic as a genre?"

 

[StillStunned]

So, I guess my respectful question to you would be, "How do you define non-erotic as a genre?"

I don't think "non-erotic" is a literary/fiction genre. It's only a category here on Lit, and then by virtue of the fact that (nominally at least) all the other stories *are* erotic.

 

[TheLobster]

I don't think "non-erotic" is a literary/fiction genre. It's only a category here on Lit, and then by virtue of the fact that (nominally at least) all the other stories *are* erotic.

I now imagine serious literary scholars taking it for granted that literature should be divided into exactly three broad categories:

• Erotica
• Romantasy
• Non-erotic

"Alright, students, this year's curriculum will focus on the great writers of the 19th century, and specifically the non-erotic ones, such as Dostoyevsky or Dickens."
"Sheesh! You hear that, dude? How could a guy be writing non-erotic when his name is freaking Dickens?"

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I don't think "non-erotic" is a literary/fiction genre. It's only a category here on Lit, and then by virtue of the fact that (nominally at least) all the other stories *are* erotic.

I won't disagree.

However as many here have expressed in the past, there is a continuing debate over what constitutes erotica.

Hence, my question for @SmilingLez, about what she feels constitutes non-erotic as it relates to her comment. As I pointed out, this is relevant when you consider the number of stories on this site that contain no sexual content yet are successfully published in categories where erotic content is typically implied by the name or description, and they do well with readers.

Should there be some threshold of sexual content for a story to be considered erotic versus non-erotic? How would the two be defined?