Genres, Life, and A Load of Other Stories
"We all have our different languages; but we all really mean the same thing."
I know, I know, I’m getting this out at the eleventh hour. Thank God there’s an extra day in February this year so it’s not as last minute as it could’ve been. Thank you for bearing with me.
The theme of this month’s Further Up & Further In is genre. In the musing portion, I meditate on what genre is, and where it comes from, as well as how we engage with it daily. Elsewhere, I’ve got some exciting writing updates for you and some new monthly recommendations.
Enjoy!
In classical literature, most stories find themselves falling under one of two familiar categories, the Comedy or the Tragedy. Without a doubt, the image that those paired words conjure up is that of two different masks: one sad, one happy. Since ancient Greece, drama has been defined by one of these two caricatures, and even today you’ll find that most if not all works of fiction (particularly theater) may still fall under one of these two categories when they’re both properly understood.
A Comedy has been described as “a story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character” or perhaps a better definition comes from Encyclopedia.com, which notes that “Comedy treats of private deeds with no threat to life.” This can look a bunch of different ways, and—despite what Adam Sandler or Seth Rogan may want you to believe—our generation’s particular brand of humor is not all that’s associated with the label. No, Comedy in this sense is more about a tone or theme associated with average, everyday life.
In the same vein, Tragedy doesn’t necessarily mean tragic as the name otherwise suggests. Rather, as the aforementioned Encyclopedia notes, “Tragedy deals with the fortunes of heroes in adversity,” which sounds like just about every story you’ve ever read. This means that you don’t have to read Cormac McCarthy or John Steinbeck to enjoy a Tragedy in the truest sense (though you absolutely should). Even a Mission: Impossible film can fall under that particular statement.1 On rare occasions, a Tragicomedy may attempt to blend these two classifications into a tale that carries the best of both. The Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading immediately comes to mind.2
But in the modern West, we classify our stories a bit differently than the ancient Greeks. Sure, Comedy and Tragedy, as they once meant them, still live on, but nowadays we use other genres to better emphasize the type of stories that we’re either telling or receiving.
Action and Adventure stories employ the traditional Hero’s Journey model as the protagonists endure an epic quest for fame, fortune, honor, security, or salvation.
Science-fiction and Fantasy delve into the unknown through means of either technological innovation or supernatural interference. Sci-fi is usually somewhat futuristic while Fantasy generally evokes the Medieval.3
Romance tells the tale of lovers as they fall head-over-heels for the other.
Satire pokes fun at those in power by humorously revealing their shortcomings. (Not all Comedies are satirical, nor are all Satires Comedies.)
Thrillers are plot-driven tales of suspense that keep you on the edge of your seat. Sometimes they overlap with the Mystery and Crime genres.
Horror challenges our perceptions of reality, forces us to face our fears, and highlights the unknown and macabre.
Westerns are generally set in the American West and focus on themes of westward expansion, the problem of progress, justice, individualism, and sometimes traditional values.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of genres, nor is it intended to be. This is only a taste of the broader scope of stories that we experience and consume on roughly a daily basis. Subgenres and other genre combinations are out there as well, and there always seems to be more on the horizon.
The Bible itself contains many different genres from historical records and apocalyptic literature to musical liturgies and personal letters. There’s horror, action, adventure, mystery, romance, and even satire throughout the biblical accounts, both in the Old and New Testaments. As usual, the Bible reflects the diversity in everyday life.
Our daily lives can switch from romance and adventure to satire and horror in an instant. No doubt, a shift in genre in a movie, book, or TV show can be jarring and uncomfortable. Without some sort of precedent, it can turn us off from whatever story we were previously engaged in. But life doesn’t give us precedent, it simply throws new stories at us along the way.
Aside from certain extreme circumstances, we don’t usually feel so blindsided when life “switches genres.” Though circumstances can shift between any of these categories in an instant, we don’t usually bat an eye when they do. Maybe it’s because we devour so many different stories. Or maybe it’s because that’s just the nature of living.
The same shifts can even be seen in authors and filmmakers. Stephen King may be the “King of Horror,” but did you know he’s also written crime novels, fantasies, and historical fiction? Christopher Nolan’s recent biopic Oppenheimer was a unique shift for the filmmaker, who had previously made a name for himself as a director of superhero epics, sci-fi blockbusters, and mystery thrillers. C.S. Lewis himself wrote in over 20 different literary genres throughout his life. While not all of those are narrative works (he only wrote in about half a dozen narrative genres), it’s still an impressive number of styles to consider.
Of course, others like Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mystery novels, only write Western mystery fiction. That’s it. He knows what he’s good at and he goes for it. End of story. That’s admirable too, and for some folks, life may always feel like a Western. But that’s not how most people live.
But what’s your favorite genre?
Next month, I’ll take some time to talk about mine, but I would love to hear what sorts of stories and authors/filmmakers you regularly consume. Any medium is fair game, just let me know in the comments!
Personally, I find it hard not to explore different genres. There are just too many different types of stories that I like and want to engage with.
I’ve mentioned before how I love the supernatural thrillers of Frank Peretti (This Present Darkness had a profound impact on me in college), but I also love the neo-Western mysteries of C.J. Box (the man behind the Joe Pickett novels) and the aforementioned Craig Johnson (of Longmire fame). Beyond that, C.S. Lewis remains a favorite, as does J.R.R. Tolkien. I’ve recently discovered Louis L’Amour, and I even read a few horror novels last year that I genuinely found compelling.
The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain was a supernatural thriller (aka a horror story), and despite having philosophical and even theological undertones, it remained there. You’ll be happy to know that I have been (slowly) developing the sequel, The Curse of Bear-tooth Mountain, which will be another supernatural thriller like its predecessor, albeit with a little Western twist.
Speaking of Westerns, I recently finished up a Western short story (current title: The Devil’s Left Hand) that bleeds into the historical fiction subgenre as well. It’s a fictional account of a man who encounters very real folks from Montana’s muddy past, particularly during the gold rush of the early 1860s. I’m excited to share it with you all in due time, though I am hopeful to submit it to a Western literary magazine that’s about to get up and running here pretty soon.
On that note, another short story I wrote in the past months, A Standoff at the Gates of Hell, has officially been accepted to a certain literary magazine that will remain nameless until they officially announce the lineup for the next issue. All I can tell you right now is that it’s a speculative fiction magazine that will be released both digitally and in print. I’m very excited to share this one with you as it seamlessly blends my love for Westerns with the supernatural thriller subgenre.
Aside from that, I’m slowly chipping away at my work-in-progress novel. It’s based on a television pilot I wrote a few years back that has over a dozen accolades attached to it, but finding the time to translate my script work to the page is a whole different animal. Thankfully, I’m up for the challenge, though this one might take a while.
In other writing news, many of you know that I work as a freelance writer here on the interwebs. One site that I work for recently published a piece I wrote about the TV series Longmire and how it needs to return. It turns out, that this piece got so much traction that not only did author Craig Johnson share it on his social media, but a whole article was written about it by The Real Book Spy, a site dedicated to thrillers run by author Ryan Steck––who called it a “fantastic write-up.” Here’s hoping it continues to get more traction and Netflix puts more episodes of Longmire into production!
This month’s Petty Picks are as follows…
WHAT I’M READING: The Terminal List by Jack Carr — Having watched the Amazon series of the same name, I was excited to dive into the novel that made Chris Pratt get into a bidding war with Antone Fuqua to make it into a show. So far, I’ve really enjoyed the novel. Carr’s prose is thrilling and the story is different enough from the series that this James Reece feels new and exciting. I’m nearly halfway through now, so we’ll see if I still like it by the end. UPDATE: I finished the book, and while I still liked it, there was some graphic content during the Mexico section that I would advise skipping over. When Reece goes on his mission, the violence is sometimes over the top, and in that Mexico sequence, there is some sexually explicit content that was unnecessary. If you go back and read this one, keep that all in mind.
WHAT I’M WATCHING: Seraphim Falls — I had to write about Seraphim Falls for work recently (read that HERE) and the more I meditate on this revenge Western the more I like it. Starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan, this one has some interesting spiritual undertones and a surprise twist that really changes the game. If you’re a fan of “revisionist Westerns,” you’ll like this one.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO: Live From the Woods at Fontanel by NEEDTOBREATHE — NTB is my favorite band, and these guy’s first live album has been a hoot around here lately. The Little Miss loves grabbing my CD for this album (which has an owl on its cover art) and crying “Whoo! Whoo!” around the house. The album itself is pretty great too, with bangers like “State I’m In” and “Wanted Man,” heartfelt ballads like “Difference Maker” and “Wasteland,” and personal touches like “Washed By The Water” and “Brother.” Personally, I’m a huge fan of “Drive All Night” and “Devil’s Been Talkin’” too.
FURTHER PETTY RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Story of God Our Savior by Kenneth Padgett and Shay Gregorie — Last month, I recommended The Forgotten King by these two, but this is their recently released third volume in The Story of God trilogy (buy HERE). The artwork by Aedan Peterson is breathtaking, and the narrative flows perfectly with the previous two (not to mention the biblical story). We love it.
Tracker - This new CBS series (very loosely based on The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver) stars former Smallville and This Is Us star Justin Hartley who plays a “rewardist” who travels around the country finding missing people and objects. I don’t love everything about the show, but it’s a fascinating concept with a charismatic lead that has a lot of potential to be a fun roadshow procedural.
In many ways, the first Mission: Impossible film especially could be considered a Tragedy. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Go back and watch it again, it’s great.
Frankly, many of the Coen Brothers’ films could be considered Tragicomedies. Fargo certainly fits the bill, and a case could be made for The Big Lebowski too.
I should note that I believe that these two genres are really one and the same (hence why they’re always lumped together), but that’s another newsletter for another time.
I love this post brother! I REALLY love Studio Ghibli films personally, let me know if you have checked out any of these!
This is such a packed post, full of good info. Thanks!