Is Genre an Outdated Idea and Can it Be Misleading?

The human mind is a curious thing. On coming in from the brisk winter cold I’ve switched on the heater, sandwiched myself between a duvet and cover on the sofa, and started listening to a randomly generated playlist on Spotify. What happens next? Well, out of nowhere my brain starts wondering if genre is an outdated idea and whether or not it can be misleading.

Three of My Top Reads Recently

In 2020: I read, watched, listened to, and played fiction coming from a range of genres; sci-fi, fantasy, romance, comedy, crime, psychological and horror among them. I enjoyed them all. When it comes to books; some of my favourites were Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses, Stephen King’s The Outsider and Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The genre divides there us very clear, but no one of these is elevated in my standing by genre alone.

Thought on My Own Writing

It is notable that in my own writing, my stories lean towards horror. Not the gorefests or torture porn that have become prevalent in movies for a while now, but deconstructions of human psychology and cultural failings. I’m someone who is naturally anxious and analytical, so this kind of just fits the stories I want to tell. That said, it’s not vampires, werewolves, ghosts or whatnot I tend to write about (though I might), nor is it the mad slasher methodically making their way through a high school yearbook. No, it’s the monsters within. Those imbedded in society, in the subconscious and in the imagination. That’s what interests me. Manifestations of emotions, thoughts, and the darkest elements of what we have created on a cultural level. Although, it is fun to play in the sandbox of traditional horror from time-to-time.

More than Genre

So, how do I connect my three favourite reads of this year together and how do I relate those to my own writings? Well, let’s put aside genre for a moment. At their most basic level, all these share a strong premise, relatable or lovable characters and powerful themes.

Noughts and Crosses is a story about young star-crossed lovers in an alternate history where Africa colonised Europe rather than vice-versa.

The Outsider is a story about a crime where all the evidence simultaneously points to and doesn’t point to a respected member of the community as the perpetrator.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a story about a woman scarred physically and emotionally trying to navigate a society that she does not naturally fit into and her frustration and confusion in navigating this.

Take those three examples and it paints a picture of my own tastes that are also reflected in my writing. We have themes that appeal to me, which are prominently guided by strong premises. In each, it is the characters doing the legwork and moving the plot forward. In-fact, you could actually take the supernatural… or the horror out of The Outsider and it would still be engaging because of the themes, premise, and character.

Genre Neutral Thinking

It’s a curious thing then that genre is so prominent when we talk about fiction. We might call something science fiction, but it be inherently romantic, or we could have a police procedural with supernatural and horror elements. Single genre thinking really doesn’t do things justice I feel. After all, the best stories in any media are the ones where no matter how fantastical, the humanity and emotion shine through.

What I am finding personally, is that genre is irrelevant. It’s too large a blanket term and not good enough to get across what to expect from a story. I can’t help but wonder how many wonderful stories have been dismissed by genre because of expectations or misunderstandings of their tropes?

Perhaps instead themes or premises should be the way to look at this instead? Wait? Isn’t that what those Netflix tags are?