science fiction, fantasy? or thriller-horror-romance-chick-lit?

[deborah]

diceytillerman asks some questions about The Giver's ending and genre which very much mesh with my perpetual autumn concern these days, about definitions of science fiction and fantasy.

diceytillerman and I have spoken before about how my primary concern is trying to pin down generic markers despite the fact that my OTHER primary concern is my belief that it is absolutely impossible to pin down generic markers. Ultimately, I think that genre is one big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey goodness.

Ooo, I need a TARDIS. Or, I guess, a TARGIS (Tropes and Relative Genres in Space). Then I could travel around genre having adventures and writing wrongs along with my plucky companion (diceytillerman) and robot dog (any volunteers? I nominate steepholm!).

I wonder who my narrative archnemesis is?

Comments

[steepholm]

I'm the tin dog? Surely you're taking the Mickey!

[steepholm]

(Please imagine that I have put a winky emoticon on the end, there!)

[diceytillerman]

Come with us! We need you!

[deborah]

*rimshot*

But you'd be so useful! You could follow me around and mock me when I am being flaky and wrong and you'd have a little laser in your nose.

[astern]

I wonder who my narrative archnemesis is?

*waves hand in the air frantically*

[deborah]

Will you grow a goatee, though?

[diceytillerman]

Working to determine genre while also knowing it's not entirely (and sometimes not even barely) determinable... well, that's what makes this all so much fun! And why we work well together. I even like how Kirkus's genre options have been expanding lately

Plucky companions wear overalls and huge boots, right?

(edited because I accidentally made myself sound like Daria

[deborah]

I think you were just absolutely adorable when you described yourself as sounding like Daria.