Genre, within literature, acts to find texts within a set of conventions. In conforming to these conventions, texts can be categorised and labelled accordingly. But what happens when texts will not sit still?
Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake is a clear example of this. In it, Atwood blends elements from science fiction and dystopian genres in order to create a piece that refuses to sit within the confines of a single genre, and therefore refuses to sit still. Instead, the text spreads across many, allowing Atwood’s critique of society to be emphasised through the very categorisation of her work. In doing this, Atwood creates a piece that transcends social bounds, encouraging readers to realise potential futures that lie ahead if we continue to damage our environment.
Another text that refuses to sit still is Austen’s Northanger Abbey — this time through character. With the content of Austen’s novel fitting comfortably into the gothic genre, Austen is able to challenge the conventionality of her novel’s content through the character of Catherine Morland. Women in the gothic are often vulnerable heroines, conforming to patriarchy and thus to their position within domestic spaces. Catherine challenges this through her position within the external society of Bath, but also through her ability to grow which leads her to be less victimised throughout the text. Indeed, although she is often a victim to the will of John Thorpe, who manipulates her and her reputation, Cathrine’s intellect grows and her vulnerability declines. At the end of the novel, she is able to both spot and label the moral misconduct of Thorpe and Captain Tilney.
Overall, in allowing their books to not conform to genre conventions, authors are able to allow their works to transcend the narrow bounds prescribed to them by society. This allows their in-book criticisms to have real world impact: encouraging us all to challenge the status quo.
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