Re: broader meaning for genre

["D. Louise Edwards" <ledwards@EAGLE.ESD189.WEDNET.EDU>]

Mark, your wrote

> (and other) forms do have rather specific conventions (I'm thinking of
> romance novels, epic fantasy, historical fiction, roman a clef, etc., why not
> broaden the use of genre to include those?  It would make a description much
> more precise I think.  Instead of 'novel' including everything from V.C.
> Andrews to Mark Twain to J.R.R. Tolkein to Donald Westlake, specific terms
> like 'historical novel' , 'epic fantasy', 'trash fiction' (just kidding - I
> think) would be more helpful to patrons.
>
> What do you think?

I agree a more precise description of fiction (of which, I think, you
mean the novel itself) would be helpful for our readers.  But I am still
wondering why we would use a term with a specific definition which does
not refer to type or kind of novel.  Why not use "type" of fiction?  I am
sure there are other words which could be used.

Thanks for asking, Mark!  Louise Edwards

> Mark Williams
> Librarian
> Colton High School
>