I think what's telling about genre discourse is that the Nerd Genres, fantasy and science fiction, act like the definition of a "genre" is having "rules" about what's "allowed to happen" in the setting, and nerds think all genres work this way when mostly they don't
-
-
But horror especially, which is about an aesthetic and a mood more than it is a specific setting, defies this kind of definition The reason horror doesn't naturally split into "realistic horror" and "supernatural horror" is half the time the horror is the characters don't know
Show this thread -
People don't try to say whether slasher movies are about "mundane slashers" or "supernatural slashers" For Friday the 13th that's a straight up spoiler for the first movie For Halloween, actively defining what Michael Myers is was that franchise jumping the shark
Show this thread -
It's worth pointing out whenever talking about genre that Alien and Aliens are obviously in very different genres (Alien is very clearly a horror movie and Aliens, horrifying and tragic though it may be, isn't) but Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Pt. 2 obviously aren't
Show this thread -
Even though the big twist of Pt. 1 was "Okay so this is our world after all, nothing truly supernatural happens" and then Pt. 2 was "OR DOES IT" (But the franchise doesn't actually firmly commit to "Okay yeah Jason is supernatural and undead" until Pt. 6)
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
I almost feel like we need a word for setting genre vs. narrative genre. Like, Blade Runner is a thriller that happens to be science fiction. Lord of the Rings is adventure/war that happens to be fantasy. Dune is epic tragedy that happens to be science fiction.
-
But there *are* differences and times when the material genre becomes particularly relevant; for instance, Arrival is a family drama about grief but leaving out the aliens would be a misleading description
- Show replies
New conversation -
-
-
Can we blame Campbell for that one?
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Dune has both space ships and witches but seems to be mostly considered sf and not fantasy.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
The difference between sci-fi and fantasy is whether or not the reality-bending wonders ostensibly have explanations for how they work, regardless of whether the reader (or writer) cares to figure out what it is.
-
I don't even think this is true, cf. Brandon Sanderson's elaborate "magic systems" Most characters in "high fantasy" settings DO understand how "magic" works about as well as we understand how technology works, it's just that the explanations are "fantasy-themed"
- Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.