Among the topics we investigate during the course are "genres" popular in public libraries —mysteries, speculative fiction (science fiction & fantasy), westerns, romance, and non-fiction that reads like fiction. Some of you will come to class already having background in some of these genres, but quite a few of you won't.  I want you all to become familiar with the appeal of these genres.  To do that, you'll read books in the genres themselves, literature about each genre, and write papers based on what you've read. As part of the class assignments, you must read at least:

• 2 mysteries
• 2 romances
• 2 speculative fiction (1 science fiction & 1 fantasy)
• 1 western
• 1 narrative non-fiction 
• 1 book in a genre we'll choose in class
• 1 book club book we'll select in class
• You must "read" one of these books by listening to the unabridged audiotape/audiodisc. It's your choice as to which one you experience audibly.  You should finish listening before the genre of your audio recording is discussed. Plan ahead—it takes longer to listen to a book than it does to read it.

For those who'd like to do some advance reading of novels before the semester starts, I've included a list of major or acceptable authors or suggestions below. You may read any author on these lists, as their works represent typical examples of the genres we're studying. If you'd like to read books by an author not on these lists, contact me first.  My main criterion for author selection is that the author writes popular materials characteristic of the genre. Some caveats: The emphasis in this class is ADULT popular literature, not Young Adult, so we are not covering YA crossover novels.  Please don't read short stories. (Exception:  see speculative fiction readings.) And please don't read literary novels that happen to have genre themes. 

Please read critically. If you eventually work in a public library, collection development in popular fiction (and non-fiction) might be one of your responsibilities. As you read, ask yourself what in particular makes these novels so popular? As you read, think about your reaction to each novel.  What do you like or not like about each title?  If you are already a fan of a genre, what is the appeal for you?  For each genre I've included specific questions and issues to think about as you read.

We will not necessarily be covering the genres in the order presented here.  I'm still working on the upcoming syllabus.  Some of the topics will be presented by guest speakers, so dates will be determined by their availability.

One last small assignment—Read an issue of The National Enquirer magazine before the first class.  (I'll bring some with me you can peruse.) Ask yourself what makes this magazine so popular?  How does this reflect the taste or needs of some of your patrons?  Would you feel comfortable carrying this tabloid in your collection?  Why or why not?

Class texts:

Required:

• Herald, Diana Tixier.  Genreflecting: a Guide to Popular Reading Interests.  6th (2006) ed. 
  (You will have access to portions of this work online via Readers' Advisor Online database.)
• Saricks, Joyce G.  The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction  (2001)

Recommended:

• Saricks, Joyce G.  Readers' Advisory in the Public Library 3rd (2005) ed.  

Questions? Email me mtowner@illinois.edu or call me at The Urbana Free Library, (217) 367-4405.

| Non-Fiction | Mysteries | Speculative Fiction | Westerns | Romances |

Non-Fiction

Thanks to the members of Fiction-L for some of the title suggestions.

Readable non-fiction readers' advisory is a hot topic right now in discussions of popular library literature. True crime, Adventure, Armchair travel and Biography/Memoirs are types of non-fiction that can share pleasurable elements with fiction—they read quickly and they're interesting. Recently, microhistories--histories focused on one thing or event--have become quite popular. While there are many different areas non-fiction areas that are fun to read, we'll focus on these five "sub-genres" in our class this semester.

Think about these questions as you read:

• What exactly is non-fiction?
• Why do readers read non-fiction for pleasure?
• Do they read non-fiction to learn?  If the book reads like fiction, do they realize they're learning something?
• What elements do fiction and readable non-fiction share?
• Why do some readers read both fiction and non-fiction for pleasure?  Conversely, why do some patrons insist on reading only fiction or non-fiction?
• Can you expand a reader's horizons by linking similar fiction and non-fiction titles?
• Are the appeal factors for different types of non-fiction similar?

Microhistories
(The story of single thing, in minute detail. In other words, one book, one topic.)

• Trevor Corson. The zen of fish: the story of sushi, from samurai to supermarket
• Hattie Ellis. Sweetness & Light: the mysterious history of the honeybee
• Stefan Fatsis. Word freak: heartbreak, triumph, geniius and obsession in the world of competitive Scrabble players
• Mark Kurlansky. Cod: a biography of the fish that changed the world
• Witold Rybczynski. One good turn: a natural history of the screwdriver and the screw
• Mary Roach. Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers
• Dava Sobel. Longitude: the true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time

True Crime:

• Vincent Bugliosi. Helter Skelter
• Truman Capote. In Cold Blood
• Duncan, Lois. Who Killed My Daughter?
• Jon Krakauer. Under the Banner of Heaven:  a story of violent faith
• Erik Larson. Devil in White City: murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America--or--Thunderstruck
• Ben Mezrich.  Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas For Millions
• Ann Rule. The Stranger Beside Me--or--Green river, running red: the real story of the Green River killer, America’s deadliest serial murderer
• Clifford Stoll. The Cuckoo's Egg

Adventure:

• Caroline Alexander. The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
• Mark Bowden. Black Hawk Down
• George Jonas. Vengeance: the true story of an Israeli counter-terrorist team  
• Sebastian Junger. The Perfect Storm
• Jon Krakauer. Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster
• Robert Kurson. Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
• Candice Millard.  The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
• Ewen Montagu. The Man Who Never Was: World War II's Boldest Counter-Intelligence Operation
• Piers Paul Read. Alive

Armchair Travel:

Biography/Memoirs:

• Alison Bechdel. Fun home (graphic art format)
• Helene Hanff.  86 Charing Cross Road
• Laura Hillenbrand. Seabiscuit: An American Legend
• Homer H. Hickham, Jr,  Rocket Boys: a Memoir 
• Marisa Acocella Marchetto. Cancer vixen (graphic art format)
• Azar Nafisi. Reading Lolita in Tehran
• Sylvia Nasar. A Beautiful Mind: the Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
• Ruth Reichl. Tender at the Bone
• Reymundo Sanchez. My Bloody Life: the Making of a Latin King....
• Bob Tarte. Enslaved By Ducks: How One Man Went From Head of Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order
• Simon Winchester. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary

Return to the top

Mysteries

While reading mystery stories, watch for standard plot elements and for the co-called "canons" of the field. (Read "Twenty rules for writing detective stories" by S.S. Van Dine. The article is available on the Internet in full text, and in paraphrase. Here's a link to an e-text: http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/vandine.htm) Among the standard canons of the traditional "puzzle" mystery story are:

• The reader must have a "fair" opportunity to solve the crime.
• Tricks played on the reader must be those that the villain plays on the detective.
• Love may intrude, but it may not be the central element of the plot.
• The detective must not be the villain.
• The villain must be exposed by deduction rather than by accident or by unmotivated confession.
• The crime must not be solved by supernatural means.
• The villain must have played a prominent role in the story.
• The murder method must be rational and scientific.
• The truth should be apparent once explained.
• The crime must never turn out to be accident or suicide.

In addition to watching for these standard elements (and their exclusion or manipulation) consider the following questions as you read:

The most important questions are:

• Why do people like to read mystery novels? What do they get out of them?
• To what extent do mystery stories involve myths? (In other words, to what extent do they present a view of the world that is clearly unreal?) Why are these myths (if any) appealing to readers? Would mysteries be more or less fun to read if they did not involve myths?

Other questions include:

• To what degree are the traditional canons followed? If they are not, how does this affect the success of the story?
• What sub-genres of mysteries exist? Do they have conventions of their own?
• What are the roles of sex and violence in the stories? Why do individual authors include or exclude these? Does their presence vary with the sub-genre involved?
• How do the authors view the police?
• What eccentricities (if any) do the detectives possess? What are their occupational affiliations (police, private investigators, snoopy amateurs, etc.)? Are they exotic in any way?
• How prevalent are women detectives and women authors?
• What is the general tone of each story (thriller, realism, gothic, horror, puzzle, comedy, romance, social comedy, suspense, study of the criminal mind, etc.)?
• Are thrillers and suspense forms of mystery?
• What are the intended audiences? To whom might the book appeal most (or least)?
• What view of society and the natural social order does the author present?
• Does the author have a particular, personal axe to grind?
• Do you think you had a fair opportunity to solve the crime? Did the author contend you did?
• How do the very popular current books featuring women as private detectives differ from the traditional books featuring men as private detectives?
• True crime stories form a very popular non-fiction genre today. How does the public enthusiasm for these relate to the popularity of the mystery novel.

Mystery Authors

Read two mystery novels—make one a "hard-boiled" story.  Don't read short stories.

Early mystery writers (important, but if you haven't read mysteries before, don't pick books from this list):

• Arthur Conan Doyle
• Edgar Allen Poe
• Mary Roberts Rinehart

Puzzle stories:

• Margery Allingham
• Agatha Christie (Featuring Poirot or Marple only. Do NOT read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd unless you are already widely read in this genre.)
• John Dickson Carr
• John Creasey (used over twenty-five pseudonyms)
• Erle Stanley Gardner
• Tony Hillerman
• P.D. James
• Ngaio Marsh
• Ellery Queen
• Dorothy Sayers 
• Rex Stout

Traditional hard-boiled detective stories:

• Raymond Chandler
• Dashiell Hammett
• Ross Macdonald
• Mickey Spillane

Modern, "soft-boiled" detective stories:

• Eleanor Taylor Bland
• Sue Grafton
• Walter Mosley
• Marcia Muller
• Sara Paretsky
• Robert B. Parker

Police procedurals & PIs:

• Michael Connelly
• Tony Hillerman
• Dick Francis
• Sue Grafton
• P,D, James
• Jonathan Kellerman
• J.J. Marric (one of John Creasy's many pseudonyms)
• Ed McBain (87th Precinct stories)

Mystery-suspense, forensics:

• David Baldacci
• Mary Higgins Clark
• Patricia Cornwell
• Dick Francis
• Kathy Reichs (forensic anthropologist)
• John Sandford

Criminals:

• Leslie Charteris (The Saint)
• E.W. Hornung (Raffles)
• Donald Westlake (John Dortmunder and his associates)

Parodies, humorous, romantic, suspense, historical, cozies, etc.:

• Lilian Jackson Braun
• Harlan Coben
• Diane Mott Davidson
• Carole Nelson Douglas (Midnight Louis series—cat sleuth in Las Vegas)
• Janet Evanovich
• Jonathan Gash
• Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan series)
• Dorothy Gilman (Mrs. Pollifax)
• Laurie King (Mary Russell)
• Elizabeth Lowell
• Alexander McCall-Smith (gently humorous and very evocative of place)
• Elizabeth Peters
• Donald Westlake
• Jacqueline Winspear

Return to the top

Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction & Fantasy)

The most important questions:

• What do readers get out of speculative fiction? Why do they read it?
• What are the underlying mythologies of speculative fiction? Given the unreal qualities of the genre, is this a relevant question?

Other questions include:

• What is science fiction, anyway? What are the boundaries? What kinds of books don't qualify?  Where does science fiction leave off and fantasy begin? Are they one genre or two? What about such fictional "scientific works" as Chariots of the Gods?
• How does science fiction differ from other formula writing? What about fantasy?
• What assumptions does modern speculative fiction writing make concerning readership? Are writers in this area knowledgeable concerning modern science? How large a role does science play in science fiction stories? In fantasy stories? Are the stories internally consistent?
• What philosophical attitudes and value systems do science fiction and fantasy writers seem to possess? What are their attitudes toward religion, government, and other traditional social structures? From which occupational groups are the villains and heroes drawn?
• How does one subdivide science fiction? 
• How do publishing patterns in science fiction and fantasy differ? Can one distinguish them on the shelves of bookstores? Is it possible to separate them cleanly in a library?
• How does published science fiction differ from science fiction in other media? What does this tell us? Why has the science fiction genre translated so well into popular culture, as seen through films and television?
• Where does popular fantasy leave off and literary fantasy begin? How does one distinguish between the two? What are the implications of this for libraries?

Speculative Fiction Authors

Read two speculative fiction novels published in the last 50 years or so. Read one science fiction novel and one fantasy novel. Unless you are already well read in speculative fiction, skip the authors listed under "early writers." The listed titles are among the most famous in the field, and if you are completely new to SF, we suggest you select from among them.

Short stories are very important in science fiction publishing.  Instead of one of the novels, you may choose to read one volume from one of these collections:

• Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling (ed.).  The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.  St. Martin's Press.
• Dozois, Gardner (ed.). The Year's Best Science Fiction.  St. Martin's Griffin.

Early writers:

• Edgar Rice Burroughs. Novels of Mars, Venus, Pellucidar, etc.
• H. Rider Haggard. She
• H(oward) P(hillips) Lovecraft. At the Mountains of Madness
• E(dward) E(lmer) "Doc" Smith. The "Skylark" and "Lensman" series.
• Jules Verne. Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon, Five Weeks in a Balloon
• H(erbert) G(eorge) Wells. The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds

Later writers of science fiction:

• Piers Anthony (Piers A.D. Jacob). Chthon, The "Xanth" series, etc.
• Isaac Asimov. The End of Eternity, "Foundation" series, Pebble in the Sky, The Caves of Steel, I, Robot, The Stars Like Dust, The Gods Themselves
• Greg Bear
• Ray Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man
• Marion Zimmer Bradley. The "Darkover" series
• Lois McMaster Bujold. "Vorkosigan" series
• Octavia Butler.
• Orson Scott Card. Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead
• C.J. Cherryh
• Arthur C. Clarke. Childhood's End, The City and the Stars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous with Rama, The Fountains of Paradise
• Hal Clement (Harry Clement Stubbs). Mission of Gravity, Iceworld, Needle, The Nitrogen Fix (Hal Clement is a classic writer of hard-science SF. If you hate science, read another author.)
• L(yon) Sprague de Camp. Lest Darkness Fall, Rogue Queen
• Philip José Farmer. Flesh, Green Odyssey, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Maker of the Universe (Farmer lives in Peoria, which makes him a nearly-local author)
• William Gibson. Neuromancer (an early example of "Cyberpunk"), Count Zero
• Robert Heinlein. The Door into Summer, Stranger in a Strange Land, Farnham's Freehold, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troupers
• Frank Herbert. The Dragon in the Sea, Dune (and several sequels)
• Ursula K. LeGuin. The Lathe of Heaven, The Left Hand of Darkness, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Dispossessed
• Fritz Lieber. The Big Time, The Green Millennium, The Wanderer
• Anne McCaffrey. Restoree, The Ship Who Sang, Dragonflight and its many sequels
• Larry Niven. Ringworld, The Mote in God's Eye, The Integral Trees
• Andre Norton. The "Witchworld" series and many other books. Norton's books overlap fantasy to some extent—space opera plus E.S.P.
• Kim Stanley Robinson
• Christopher Stasheff. The Warlock in Spite of Himself (A local CU author.)
• Neal Stephenson. Snow Crash
• Theodore Sturgeon. More than Human, The Synthetic Man, The Dreaming Jewels
• A(lfred) E(lton) van Vogt. Slan, The Voyage of the Space Beagle, The Weapon Shops of Isher, The World of Null-A
• David Weber
• Connie Willis. 
• Timothy Zahn. A Coming of Age, Cobra, Spinneret, Star Wars continuations (A formerly local author.)
• Roger Zelazny. Lord of Light, This Immortal, the "Amber" stories, etc. In some ways closer to fantasy.

Later writers of fantasy:

Return to the top

Westerns

As you read western novels and read about the "western" as a form of fiction, look for standard plot devices and consider some of the following questions:

• Historically speaking, what is the setting? Is it something other than the trans-Mississippi/Missouri west between 1865 and 1890? How important is the setting to the story?
• What is the basic character of the protagonist? What other literary or stereotypical characters does he resemble? Does he have an undeserved reputation for ugly deeds?
• Who is the hero's primary enemy? How and when do they settle the score?
• What social elements interplay? What is the standard cast of characters in a western?
• How does the hero become involved in the events of the story? When the story ends, what does he plan to do next?
• Do what extent does the author deal with such basic conflicts as:
  • Lawlessness vs. society controlled by law?
  • Wilderness vs. settled society life and values?
• What roles do women play? How much sex is present? Is it important to the plot?
• What is the mythology of the western?
• What kind of readers do you think prefer westerns?
• What future do you see for western stories in popular culture?
• If you have not read formula westerns before, what was your reaction to these? Were they what you expected?
• And (as usual, and most importantly) what do readers get out of westerns? What are the myths of the western genre?

Western Authors:

Read one western novel, one by Zane Grey or one by a reasonably modern author who appears to write by formula. Appropriate authors include:

• Todhunter Ballard
• Jack Bickham
• Max Brand (Frederick Faust)
• Don Coldsmith
• Loren D. Estleman
• Ernest Haycox
• Will Henry
• Elmer Kelton
• Louis L'Amour
• Lauran Paine
• Lewis Patten
• Jack Schaefer
• Luke Short
• Here are a few very recent westerns that patrons have recommended or that have won awards:
  • Elizabeth Crook. The night journal
  • R.W. Stone. Trail hand: a western story
  • Willard Wyman. High country

Return to the top

Romances

As you read romance fiction, consider some of the following questions:

• Why do people like to read romantic fiction? (In terms of sheer quantities sold, pop romance is by far the most popular of all fiction genres.)
• What sub-types of romances exist? Which ones are permanent, and which come and go?  Do romances blend with other genres?
• What formulas exist in these novels? Do they carry over between the sub-types?
• What are the basic myths of popular romance?
• To which elements in these novels might "serious" critics object?
• Why do you think these novels are so popular? Is there any chance that they might appeal to men as well as women? Why or why not?
• How are desirable males stereotyped? Build and appearance? Behavior and personality? Occupation and financial status? Past history?
• Are romances only between men and women?
• What about the heroine? How is she described in terms of appearance and personality? How specific is the description? What about her occupation? How much detail on her activities—outside of the romance—is included?
• Can you characterize the structure of the plot? What happens in the book, generally speaking? How major a role does romance play in the book? What impediments to the path of true love occur? Is there a standard finish? What future promise is most desirable?
• From whose viewpoint is the story told? Is it told in the first or third person? Why do you think the author selected this method of narration?
• How are the hero and heroine different? How do they compare in age, occupation, personality, etc.?
• In the overwhelming attraction between heroine and hero, what part does sex play? How much emphasis is there on such romantic elements as the first time eyes meet, the first touch, etc.? How important are virginity and purity? How much space is devoted to "sexual" scenes? How explicit is sexual description? What kinds of euphemisms does the author employ for bodily parts and sexual activities?
• What are the roles and characteristics of other characters in the book, especially "other" women and men?
• What is the role of the setting? Of details of dress and decor?
• Why are romance readers considered in such a negative light?
• Why are so many of the original works in the genre published first in paperback? What causes a successful author to move to hardback? Is it because the author starts to write more mainstream fiction?

Romance Authors:

Read two romance novels.  Unless you are already well read in the genre, skip the "early" or  "gothic" types. 

Any Harlequin romance, from any of Harlequin series, qualifies. Just read one of that type, though. 

The names listed are intended to provide examples for various sub-types, but this is an area with a very great number of authors.

Gothic Romances

Early:

• Mrs. (Ann) Radcliffe. The Mysteries of Udolpho
• Horace Walpole. The Castle of Otranto

Modern:

• Barbara Michaels (Barbara Mertz). Greygallows, Patriot's Dream
• Susan Howatch. Penmarric
• Victoria Holt. Mistress of Mellyn

Historical Romances

Early:

• Gwen Bristow. Jubilee Trail, Calico Palace
• Eleanor Glyn. Three Weeks!!!
• E.M. Hull. The Sheik, The Son of the Sheik!!!
• Anya Seton. Katherine
• Annemarie Selinko. Desiree
• Elswyth Thane. "Williamsburg" series (Dawn's Early Light, Yankee Stranger, Ever After, etc.)
• Kathleen Winsor. Forever Amber!!!

Modern:

• Jo Beverley
• Barbara Cartland. Desire of the Heart, Coin of Love, Flame is Love, Hazard of Hearts, etc. (Also Regency romances.)
• Janet Dailey. Touch the Wind, any Harlequin title. **
• Jude Deveraux
• Thea Devine !!!
• Jane Feather !!!
• Roberta Gellis. "Roselynde Chronicles"
• Virginia Henley !!!
• Susan Johnson !!!
• Lisa Kleypas
• Stephanie Laurens
• Johanna Lindsey.
• Judith McNaught
• Linda Lael Miller
• Rosemary Rogers !!! Sweet Savage Love, Wicked Loving Lies
• Robin Schone !!!
• Bertice Small !!! Love Slave
• LaVyrle Spencer
• Patricia Veryan
• Kathleen Woodiwiss. The Flame and the Flower, The Wolf and the Dove, Shanna

Regency Romances

(Specifically set in Britain during the reign of the Prince Regent, 1811-20.  In class we'll discuss the difference between Regencies and Regency historicals.)

Early:

• Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice
• Georgette Heyer. These Old Shades, Arabella; Venetia; Sylvester, or, The Wicked Uncle

Modern:

• Mary Balogh. 
• Marion Chesney
• Eloisa James
• Stephanie Laurens
• Amanda Quick (a.k.a. Jayne Ann Krentz). 
• Patricia Veryan (also Georgian romances)

Suspense and Mystery Romances

Early:

• Daphne Du Maurier. Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, House on the Strand, My Cousin Rachel. (Also historical romances.)
• Mary Roberts Rinehart. The Man in Lower Ten, The Swimming Pool, The Circular Staircase. (Actually, these novels could be equally well considered as mysteries.)
• Mary Stewart. Madam Will You Talk, Nine Coaches Waiting

Modern:

• Sandra Brown
• Mary Higgins Clark
• Tami Hoag. Guilty as Sin
• Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan series)
• Elizabeth Peters (Barbara Mertz). Borrower of the Night, Crocodile on the Sandbank, Street of Five Moons

Contemporary Romances

(Many of today's contemporary novels have erotic content.)

Early:

• Emma Darcy
• Ethel Dell
• Grace Livingston Hill
• Charlotte Lamb
• Emily Loring
• Violet Winspear

Modern:

• Suzanne Brockmann. (Seal team 16 series)
• Jennifer Crusie (librarian)
• Cathie Linz (Illinois author & librarian)
• Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Illinois author & librarian)
• Nora Roberts

Christian Romances

• June Masters Bacher
• Terri Blackstock
• Dee Henderson
• Karen Kingsbury
• Beverly Lewis 
• Janette Oke
• Jane Peart
• Francine Rivers
• Lori Wick

Alternative Reality Romances (Romances that include time travel, paranormal events, fantasy, future life, etc.)

• Jayne Castle (pseudonym of Jayne Anne Krentz). Amaryllis, Zinnia
• Christine Feehan
• Diana Gabaldon. Outlander
• Susan Grant
• Susan Krinard
• J.D. Robb (pseudonym of Nora Roberts) (Is the J.D.Robb series romance or mystery or both?)
• Maggie Shayne

Multicultural Romances

• Rochelle Alers
• Shirley Hailstock
• Donna Hill
• Brenda Jackson
• Beverly Jenkins
• Sandra Kitt
• Francis Ray
• Zane!!!

Return to the top

10 December 2008