General fiction encompasses novels and literature that do not fit into a specific genre, such as romance or mystery. These works focus on the protagonist’s world and experiences, often in a “coming-of-age” story. Examples include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Catcher in the Rye. Uncategorized fiction, without a specific theme, is also shelved as general fiction, allowing readers to discover a wide range of settings, characters, and plots.
General fiction is the umbrella term for novels and other literature that do not fit into a particular genre. Romance, Westerns, Mystery, Science Fiction, and other genres each have a particular theme that fits their classification. General works, on the other hand, do not have enough elements of a theme to be classified within a certain genre. The story and plot of the general narrative are no less strong, and in many cases even stronger, than those of genre works.
For example, in Betty Smith’s popular novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the tangled story focuses on the life of the main character, or protagonist, Mary Frances (Francie) Nolan, who lives in a poorer part of New York. Francie’s experiences with her family, friends and neighbors are told in an interesting and sincere way as she grows from a child to a young woman. This type of “coming of age” story is common in general fiction, as the emphasis is not on just capturing a love story as in romance novels or telling a “who did” murder with enough clues for the reader of a mystery book, but rather about the rich details of the protagonist’s world.
JD Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye is another example of general “coming-of-age” fiction. In this novel, the protagonist is a teenage male named Holden Caulfield, and unlike A Tree Grows in Brooklyn of many years in the lead character’s life, The Catcher in the Rye focuses on one month – December. Holden deals with feelings of alienation and rebellion as he experiences life at prep school. After a conflict with his roommate, Holden decides to check into a hotel rather than go home to his family. The novel delves into Holden’s thought processes as he encounters different situations and people during his stay at the hotel.
Fiction without a specific theme need not be a “coming of age” story. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is about British students who must fight for survival after their plane crashes on an uninhabited tropical island and they are the only survivors. The focus of this overarching fictional story is the conflict that occurs between trying to survive as an individual and also having to be part of a group.
The general types of novels and short stories that lack a strong romance, mystery, fantasy, or other element are also called uncategorized fiction. These uncategorized works are typically shelved in bookstores and libraries as general fiction. In this way, readers who are not looking for specific genre books can discover a wide range of settings, characters and plots.
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