Dear all,
Kerry Neary wrote:
>To respond to the original question, and trying to keep things as simple as
>possible, metafiction, i.e. writing fiction about fiction, is a literary
>device because it controls how the storyline is developed.
>The genre, i.e. the writing type, would be defined by what the story is
>about - adventure, scifi, fantasy, historical etc. - which controls the
>language characterics used.
This raises interesting and relevant issues for LMS/TLs – it’s an area
worthy of further exploration from the educational perspective. When I’ve
worked in school libraries with a budget sufficient to either purchase genre
spine labels, or sufficient staffing to allow ‘custom’ labels to be made
in-house, I’ve genre-stickered fiction for one reason only. The kids that
like Adventure (for example) will look for other books of that style.
However, I’ve just come across the ERIC digest at
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed366985.html
<http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed366985.html> , which
outlines the relationship between ‘different story types’, schema theory,
and cognitive development. Interestingly, the terms ‘literary forms’ and
‘genre’ are used synonymously throughout the paper.
There’s some great information for students/teachers (ie a possibly lesson
plan base) on the hierarchy of genre structure at
http://www.sevenoaks.wa.edu.au/linkpage/reading/read4.html
<http://www.sevenoaks.wa.edu.au/linkpage/reading/read4.html> At the end of
that web page, there are some great links to papers discussing the
difficulties of defining genre – “not everyone agrees”.
The BBC website at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru/english/01genre/02majlitgenres/index.s
html
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru/english/01genre/02majlitgenres/index.
shtml> provides an online activity for students. Notably (Robert’s)
Epistolary novel is listed as one of the four sub-genres examined in detail.
In Australia, our Schools Cataloging and Information Service (SCIS)
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/scis/index.htm
<http://www.curriculum.edu.au/scis/index.htm> defines a number of fiction
sub-genres on the basis of the type of story. There doesn’t seem to be an
online link for their definition of the term ‘genre’, and unfortunately I
don’t have a copy of their hard-copy text. However, Sydney-based library
supplier Sybasigns has a listing of those sub-genres at
http://www.sybasigns.com.au/html/f_genreoverview.html
<http://www.sybasigns.com.au/html/f_genreoverview.html>
However, to return to Kerry’s original posting (at top of this page) …
Googling for definitions of ‘genre’ -> http://tinyurl.com/67339
<http://tinyurl.com/67339>
A sampling from that page includes the information that genre is variously
defined as: “A descriptive category identifying the physical format and/or
purpose of an item” (LOC), “a style of expressing yourself in writing”
(Princeton U), “the class or category of an object when considered as an
intellectual work” (Cornell U). Many of the other definitions use the term
‘literary form’.
The Thompson Gale (free) Glossary of Literary Terms
http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/glossary/
<http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/glossary/> doesn’t actually define
either ‘literary device’ or ‘device’, but includes examples. Eg satire,
alliteration, conceit, Deus ex machina, flashback, foreshadowing. It seems
reasonable to extrapolate from these examples that a ‘device’ is, as Kerry
wrote, a method of controlling or developing a plot. But is metafiction –
fiction about fiction – a device or a genre? If the book in Robert’s
original posting *significantly* concerned writing about the fictitious
document, then maybe it is a genre (?). However, if the fictitious document
is just one part of the plot, then maybe it is a device?
The last time I sought ‘expert opinion’ on something like this – the Chair
of English Literature at Australia’s most prestigious university – I
received back an email referring me to the NSW Board of Studies English
(‘language arts’) Stage 6 syllabus, and suggesting that I refer to the
supporting materials referenced at the end of the document. Notably the
books listed in the document were all out of print, and not available for
loan from any library that actually had a copy – the closest being a mere 4
hour drive away. Sigh.
Amanda Credaro
Editor: Warrior Librarian Weekly
http://www.warriorlibrarian.com <http://www.warriorlibrarian.com/>
Author: Biblia’s Guide to Warrior Librarianship
http://warriorlibrarian.com/buythebook.html
Day Job: Project Officer – Center for Learning Innovation,
NSW Department of Education, Australia
E-mail: amanda.credaro@det.nsw.edu.au
<mailto:amanda.credaro@det.nsw.edu.au> (work)
abcredaro@ozemail.com.au <mailto:abcredaro@ozemail.com.au>
(home)
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