British fiction can be classified into various genres, including historical, gothic, and science fiction. Ten standard genres recognized by scholars are bildungsroman, historical, regional, costume, gothic, industrial, adventure, romance, science fiction, and detective story. Genre in British fiction classifies work according to style and gives readers an idea of its setting, contents, and perspective. However, most works can fit into more than one category, and gender can be limiting. British fiction is first classified by time period and then by genre.
Most British fiction can be classified as at least one of a long list of genres, ranging from historical to gothic and science fiction. There is no comprehensive list of all the different genres of British fiction, largely because different scholars recognize different genres. However, there are ten fairly standard genres of British fiction that most scholars recognise. These are the bildungsroman or bildungsroman, the historical novel, the regional or provincial novel, the costume novel, the gothic novel, the industrial novel, the adventure novel, the romance novel, the science fiction novel and the detective story or mystery. novel.
Genre in British fiction, as in all types of fiction, is a means of classifying work according to style. A work’s genre tells readers something about its setting, its contents, and the perspective from which it is written. A historical novel, for example, tells a story that is based on truth and takes place in an environment inspired by reality. Similarly, a regional or provincial novel tells a story set in a certain section of British society. Characters in these types of novels can be expected to use language and display tendencies common to ordinary people in the target time frame, target geographic area, or both.
In a Bildungsroman, the novel’s plot will center around a certain character or set of characters as they grow, in age, or in perspective. A novel of manners uses characters to parody or otherwise demonstrate the unique mannerisms of a certain sector of society, often the ruling class or elites. Somewhat predictably, a crime novel focuses on the unfolding of a central mystery or unknown. The industrial novel, which has largely fallen by the wayside, attempted to describe the effects the industrial revolution was having on British society.
Gothic novels often adopt a similar tone as they focus on dark melodrama. The 19th century in England is often referred to as its “Gothic Period,” and much of the fiction in the Gothic genre derives from this era. Of the remaining genres, romance novels center around the love between characters, adventure novels typically involve distant lands and unfamiliar terrain, and science fiction novels incorporate new technologies and imaginative and speculative realms.
The use of genre to definitively classify British fiction is a somewhat controversial practice among academics, as most works can properly fit into more than one category. Gender can also be falsely limiting. For example, many detective stories were written in the 1800s, and the genre can be said to have originated there, but today, British novelists continue to write mysteries. The genre is the same, but the style, writing, and literary weight can be dramatically different. Most academics classify British fiction first by time period and then by genre.
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