Receptive and Non-Receptive Communities
On the nature of self-limitations.
The most important information community in my life thus-far has been a subset of the literary community, colloquially referred to as “genre writers.” Genre is a complex term, but at its most functional level it can be considered a byproduct of market publication and bookstores, which attempt to categorize different works of literature in order to sell to specific groups more effectively. In this context, “genre” fiction generally refers to those works of fiction that feature certain repeated themes and conventions, such as “mystery,” “horror,” science fiction,” “fantasy,” and “romance.”
Ultimately, I think of this type of categorizing as limiting and concerning, as it increases the likelihood of someone saying “I don’t like reading ‘X’ genre” when, in fact, they’re merely repeating some internal uninspected bias against whatever they narrowly perceive of as fitting that genre. In other words, it allows people to self limit, and reduces their capacity for imaginative growth.
And yet, with that caveat aside, I still consider myself a genre writer.
This in some part is because the opposed field to “genre” work is often that dry and soulless hall of mirrors known as “Literary Fiction,” which can too frequently take on the aspect of distinguished…
