You’ve heard of the basic literary genres – fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, etc., but have you heard of Feghoot or furry sleuth? There are more to literary genres than the classics and here are some that you might’ve not known.
1. Canadiana
Sometimes known as CanLit or Canadiana, it’s exactly what you would expect it to be, Canadian literature. The sub genre is similar to Americana fiction, but with stories centered around Canada. The literature has been strongly influenced by international immigration with themes of the works surrounding ethnic minority, identity, duality, and cultural differences.
via Giphy
2. Coterie or Cult Novel
Not what you know typically as a cult novel or film, coterie novels offer a specific intellectual and elitist appeal. These novels are no beach reads but instead offer the reader an intense, challenging, and thoughtful reading experience. Books in this genre include the works of James Joyce.
Via Giphy
3. Dickensian
A little bit on the controversial side, but Dickensian fiction is any story said to resemble those if Charles Dickens. Most authors described under this genre haven’t been as successful as its namesake. One notable work that can be described as being a Dickensian novel is Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch.
Image Via Writing Suzanne
4. Fake Memoir
Fake memoirs are exactly what they sound like. Fake memoirs can either be written and published as false to begin with or they can be exposed as partially or wholly false. An famous example of an exposed false memoir is James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces. Famously banished from Oprah’s Book Club, Oprah sent it to the New York Times bestseller list only to later reveal on national television that the book was highly embellished and mostly false.
Via Giphy
5. Feghoot
A tiny yet distinct subgenera rooted in fan fiction, Feghoot fiction began as a series of science fiction pieces titled Through Time and Space with Ferdinand Feghoot. The pieces were usually only a few paragraphs long and always ended with a deliberately bad pun.
6. Cozy Mystery
Another oddly specific genre with its own format, cozy mysteries like Joanne Fluke’s Raspberry Danish Murder and Kelly Lane’s Dipped to Death are typically set in a small town with a amateur female sleuth. The crimes in these mysteries are typically murders but they aren’t done by psychopaths or serial killers but instead by some member of the community. The sleuth usually has connections to the police force by a spouse, friend, etc. and they hold jobs that bring them into constant contact with others in their community.
Via Giphy
7. Furry Sleuth
Similar to the cozy mysteries, furry sleuth mysteries feature a cat or dog as a principal investigator, very rarely is the protagonist a bird or reptile. Similarly to cozy mysteries, they take place in smaller communities with a similar cast of characters. Furry sleuth novels have some of the best titles including The Fast and the Furriest and Claws for Concern.
Featured Image Via BookBub