That's Not What I Heard It Meant

              Before I give the definition of this word, I thought I'd try something new in this post category. Instead of defining a completely new word, I'm going to take a word that many people assume they know the meaning of and give the actual definition. What do I mean by this? Allow me to demonstrate.



Genre (pronounced sh-on-rah)

             According to Merriam-Webster, a genre is "a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content."

             What would you reply if I were to ask you what your favorite literary genre was?

Would it be Science Fiction? 

 Fantasy?

 Romance? 

 Mystery? 

Thriller? 

All of the above? Interestingly enough, none of the above would be an appropriate answer.

            In terms of literature, there are four main genres that emerge:

1. Fiction
2. Nonfiction
3. Poetry
4. Drama

          The reason being that you can divide literature into these categories which will have certain styles and content, which is essentially what a genre is. Mysteries, Thrillers, and the like are all actually sub-genres of fiction, since no one who heard of a romantic poem would ever call it a Romance.

          Still, since the common understanding of the word genre is "a sub-genre of fiction," make sure your audience knows what you're talking about when you use it.