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Wuxia, dystopia to urban fantasies, what exactly are these genres?

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on - Sep 25, 2019, 16:19 IST
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1/9

Genres

Though many authors don't like the narrow grouping, most books are categorised into genres. Everyone's heard of the most common ones, fiction, non-fiction, romance, action, mystery; however, there are some that we hear a lot but don't entirely understand such as magic realism or dystopia. Here are some genres and what they mean...
2/9

Cli-fi

Cli-fi is an abbreviation for Climate-Fiction, a fiction where one of the major factors is climate change. It can be a science fiction set in another planet but it's often set in our own world, in the present or future, where it explores the effects climate change has. Sometimes the main theme is the protaginist's fight agianst a particular cause which is a concequence of climate change. In our rapidly declining world, this genre is gaining importance.

Some books of this genre are: 'Gun Island' by Amitav Ghosh, the Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
3/9

Wuxia

This is a Chinese word that means martial heroes. These books have a plot involving a hero who is a Chinese martial artist or is mastering such an art. The plot usually involves the hero understanding what is right and fighting for it. While the word is Chinese and it refers to stories involving Chinese martial arts, there are equivalents in most cultures. The righteous code of conduct for a warrior would be called chivalry in English or Bushido in Japanese, just as it is called Xia in Chinese.

Some books of this genre: The Legend of the Condor Heroes: 'A Hero Born' by Jin Yong, 'The Ring' by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi
4/9

​ Urban Fantasy

These books add strong magical elements to the modern world we live in today, weaving it with our history. For example, a modern day Delhi with witches who practise real magic. Most of the vampire fiction popular during 2000's fall under this category.

Some books of this genre: The Bartimaues Trilogy by Johnathan Stroud, The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
5/9

​ Dystopia

This genre is about a story set in a world riddled with injustice, usually governmental but often religious or scientific as well. Many are set in post-apocalyptic world.

Some books of this genre: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 'The Handmaids Tale' by Margaret Atwood
6/9

Magic Realism

These books are set in our world (the real world) and there is a subtle hint that magic exists. It works mysteriously through the book but it's usually not the focus. Often you can choose whether to believe magic played a part in the plot or not. For example, a book where a tarot reading or a ridiculous prophesy in the beginning of the book ends up being true, leaving it to a reader’s imagination whether it was a coincidence or not.

Some books of this genre: 'Gun Island' by Amitav Ghosh, 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquivel
7/9

Utopia

This is the opposite of a dystopian book for it imagines a perfect world as the setting of the plot. Its often in conjunction with sci-fi and set in another planet rather than in our own world.

Some books of this genre: 'Island' by Aldous Huxley, 'Men Like Gods' by H.G. Wells and 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry
8/9

Epic Fantasy or High Fantasy


This genre is reserved for books that are set in their own world. The author can create a world different from our own with magical rules taking precedence over our scientific laws. These worlds are often inspired by our own stories and myths or set in worlds that intersect with ours.

Some books of this genre: Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien, A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
9/9

Bildungsroman

This is a genre that gives an indication of the character growth arc. In these books, the readers witness the protagonist grow and mature. They're often coming-of-age stories set around when the protagonist goes from being a child to an adolescent or when an adolescent matures into an adult but there are cases where the protagonist is elder too.

Some books of this genre: 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini and 'Eragon' by Christopher Paolini

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