Re: broader meaning for genre

["Edna M. Boardman" <boardman@sendit.SENDIT.NODAK.EDU>]

On Sat, 3 Feb 1996, Mark Williams wrote:

> Louise:
>
> Interesting... I hadn''t actually given this a lot of thought until I read
> your reply to another message.  I, too, was taught that genre applied to the
> kind of material -- play, short story, novel, poetry.  But since some novel
> (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?
>
> Mark Williams
> Librarian
> Colton High School
        >
Dear Mark, The American Library Association materials
caution about labeling, e.g. "Controversial Materials," as a form of
censorship. I don't think broader genre labeling is a problem. Edna
Boardman, Minot High School, Magic City Campus, Minot, ND