Lesson Objectives

 Consider how novels can be classified by

genre
 Identify elements of individual genres
 What is “Genre”?
 “Genre” is a French word. According to
the dictionary, it means
A kind; a stylistic category or sort, especially
of literature or other artworks

 It is the way we classify novels or films

How many different genres can you
think of?

Romance Sci-Fi
Crime Classic Fantasy

Horror

Historical
 Genre
 We classify texts by genre based on certain
conventions they might follow
 We usually identify certain features with
certain genres – types of character, the
language used by the writer, the setting, or
the mood
 Traditional genres will often have the same
sorts of elements
 Detective / Crime
 A detective / policeman / agent
 A crime is committed, usually early-on
 Quite often a death, - perhaps a murder
(classic “whodunit”)
 The murder weapon might feature in the
early section
 Science Fiction
 Technology
 Reference to outer-space
 Spaceships, aliens, other planets feature
prominently
 Small things show life not as the reader will
recognise it
 Establishing Genre
 Before we even open the front page, we
can often establish a novel’s genre;
sometimes just by looking at the cover;
other times, by looking at the blurb
Guess the genre: Front
Covers
Crime / Detective
Romance
Sci-Fi
Crime
Horror
Children’s
Children’s
Romance
Horror
Crime/ Detective
Sci-Fi
Romance
Children’s
Horror
Guess the genre: Blurbs
Roland’s band of pilgrims remains united, though
scattered. Susannah-Mia has been carried off to
New York to give birth, terrified of what may
happen, Jake, Father Callahan and Oy follow.

Roland and Eddie are in Maine, looking for the site

which will lead them to Susannah. As he finally
closes in on the tower, Roland’s every step is
shadowed by a terrible and sinister creation. And
finally, he realises, he may have to walk the last
dark strait alone...

You’ve come this far, Come a little farther, Come all

the way, The sound you hear may be the
slamming of the door behind you. Welcome to The
Dark Tower.
A young girl lies in a hospital room, her tattooed body very
close to death -- there is a bullet lodged in her brain. Several
rooms away is the man who tried to kill her, his own body
grievously wounded from axe blows inflicted by the girl he has
tried to kill. She is Lisbeth Salander, computer hacker and
investigator, and the man is her father, a murderous Russian
gangster.

If Salander recovers from her injuries, she is more than likely to

be put on trial for three murders -- the authorities regard her
as a dangerous individual. But she won't see the inside of a
courtroom if her father manages to kill her first.
What if the person you were meant to be with
could never be yours? 17-year-old Lucinda falls in
love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at
her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword &
Cross ...only to find out that Daniel is a fallen
angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding
and losing one another as good & evil forces plot
to keep them apart. Some angels are destined to
fall...
 Choose a genre from this list
 In pairs, make a list of typical features you think
are associated with the genre. Think about
setting, characters, objects, etc.
 Discuss why you think these features are suitable
and whether they might be appropriate for more
than one genre. E.g. a knife might feature in
crime and horror fiction

Crime Mystery Horror

Romance Sci-Fi Children’s

 In groups of four:
 You need to devise a short play based on
one genre we’ve looked at
 You are forbidden to mention the name of
the genre in the script
 Think about the features of genre we’ve
just discussed
 You will perform to the rest of the class
who will have to guess what genre your
play is