TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Trying to define a genre...

Go To

ThriceCharming Since: Nov, 2013
#1: Aug 30th 2014 at 5:08:55 PM

Hey, guys. There's been something on my mind lately, and I thought I'd share it here and submit it for discussion. I've noticed that some of my favorite stories seem to fall under a broad "genre" that doesn't have a name, but does have a series of oddly specific "rules." I've been trying to define this genre, list the rules, and think of as many examples of stories (mainly in literature) that seemingly fall under its umbrella.

Here's a (probably incomplete) list of the rules:

  • The protagonist is a child. If s/he is not a child, then s/he is helpless, immature, inexperienced, or childlike in some other sense.
  • The protagonist is thrust into a mysterious, dreamlike, or fantastical land.
  • This land does not have an explicit geographical location. If one is provided, it's usually nonsense. (i.e. "Second to the right and straight on til morning.")
  • The protagonist remains conspicuously levelheaded throughout, as in a dream, rarely acting surprised, alarmed, or afraid. This may or may not be Played for Laughs.
  • The protagonist's fears, concerns, or interests are reflected or magnified in the fantasy land, to varying degrees.
  • At some point, the possibility that the fantastical land only exists in the protagonist's imagination (or in a dream, a trip, a hallucination, a personal fantasy, etc.) is presented. This mystery may or may not be definitively solved.

Secondly, here's a series of stories that fit all or most of that criteria:

I'm sure there are many other examples, but those are all the ones that spring to mind at the moment. Is there a name for this particular genre or any other "rules" I left out?

edited 30th Aug '14 5:09:46 PM by ThriceCharming

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#2: Aug 30th 2014 at 7:39:21 PM

I haven't seen some of the others on your list, but The Magicians seemed to me to be more of a cynical send-up or attempted deconstruction of the sort of thing you're describing. Then again, that's an aspect of that book that annoyed me quite a bit, so that's probably off topic.

I'd add Pan's Labyrinth to the list. Would you say some teenager-aimed things like Garth Nix's Keys To The Kingdom fit?

edited 30th Aug '14 7:39:58 PM by LoniJay

Be not afraid...
Hodor Cleric of Banjo from Westeros Since: Dec, 1969
Cleric of Banjo
#3: Aug 30th 2014 at 7:53:45 PM

I think you may be thinking of Portal Fantasy (not sure if the genre has a page), which is the general term for fantasy works where someone enters into a fantasy world from the real world- the "definite" books in the genre are probably Alice In Wonderland and the Narnia series. The genre exists in contrast to "secondary world" fantasies, which are set in fictional locations not on Earth (Lord of the Rings is the Trope Codifier).

I've definitely noticed that a lot of Neil Gaiman's books fit into this genre.

Edit, edit, edit, edit the wiki
mrshine Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Hoping Senpai notices me
#4: Aug 30th 2014 at 10:48:14 PM

Indeed I would say the term for these books is Portal Fantasy. Pan's Labyrinth is really interesting to me (side note: its my favourite movie) because it really plays with the feeling that protagonists in portal fantasies are not in real danger. It turns one of the cliches of the genre into a big dramatic moment.

EDIT: And Gulliver's Travels would not be a portal fantasy, it is a satire of popular adventure novels, it just happened to be an adventure to places that didn't exist.

edited 30th Aug '14 10:51:20 PM by mrshine

DomaDoma Three-Puppet Saluter Since: Jan, 2001
Three-Puppet Saluter
#5: Aug 31st 2014 at 1:40:44 PM

Neverending Story (the book) and Momo (another book by Michael Ende) are two of the proudest examples of every trait but the last: it's definitely happening, but in a kind of dreamlike, complicatedly allegorical way, which makes up for things.

Hail Martin Septim!
Add Post

Total posts: 5
Top