Table of Contents
There is a catalogue-worth of literary genre in the written words’ world, some well-known, others understated or simply weird. Those bizarre, unusual literary genres are just what we are going to explore in this blog.
After rummaging through a long list of niche genres, I found 12 completely bonkers literary genres. Let’s see how many of these you already know of:
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- Picaresque
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- Hardboiled
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- Nordic Noir
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- Climate Fiction or Cli-fi
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- Bildungsroman
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- Ergodic
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- Ero Guro
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- Splatterpunk
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- Weird Menace
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- Dying Earth
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- Literary Nonsense
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- Bizzaro Fiction
- Metafiction
Picaresque Literary Genre
Picaresque novels in English, novel picarescain Spanish,Roman picaresquein French, pikaresk-romanin Danish and Norwegian,плутовской роман (plutovskoy Roman) in Russian, and Romanzo picarescoin Italian, pikarescherin German, and pikaresk romanin Swedish; the genre is has become an integral part of the Western literature.
The name comes from the Spanish wordpícaro(rogue), and that is just what the witty, itinerant anti-heroes are in these books. This genre originated in Spain during the Spanish Golden Age when a book calledLazarillo de Tormes wasanonymously published in 1554.
How did the idealised Platonic shepherd and the courtly knight give way to the rowdy rascal? The picaresque literary genre was heavily influenced by works from Imperial Rome, hence the Romanin its name for several countries. Literature professor Javier Herrero explains that the genre rose in popularity when the problems of poverty and vagrancy were gaining the attention of the Spanish social masses. The genre, thus, takes the idea of a homeless destitute and turns him into an anti-hero who can defeat not one Goliath but two.
Examples of Picaresque Novels include Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
References to this literary genre:
Hardboiled Literary Genre
Hardboiled is a genre from the 1920s. By god, is it sensational!
Buckle yourself up for graphic sex, vivid violence, sordid urban backgrounds, and fast-paced (often slangy) language. If you enjoy a good crime/detective read with less A-rated visuals, reach out toa soft-boilednovel like Sherlock Holmes.
Unlike the softboiled detective, the hardboiled detective is mentally detached and emotionally well-equipped to take up the daily tasks of facing a sleaze at work. A hardboiled detective will resort to violence if needed. Compared to the softboiled detective, who is portrayed as a genius, and a hero, the hardboiled detective is somewhat of a fallen character – an outsider, a renegarde, and unflinching at the sight of bloodshed.
Let’salso not confuse this literary genre with Noir. In Noir, every character has fallen, and the lines between moral and immoral are blurred for the general worldview. In Hardboiled, it is just the detective who has fallen with no clear definitions of what is right or wrong.
Examples of Hardboiled Novels include The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler, and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet.
Nordic Noir
Inspired by the Vikings legends, Nordic Genre is crime fiction set in Scandinavia or the Nordic countries. You can identify it by its bleak landscapes and dark, complex, and gloomy atmosphere. The language used in this genre of fiction is usually simple and avoids metaphors.
As Noir suggests, the protagonist of this genre is a flawed character, and the plot often highlights pressing social issues.
The most notable contemporary example of the Nordic Noir literary genre is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Other examples include The Sandman by Lars Kepler, The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund, and The Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg.
Climate Fiction or Cli-Fi
As the name suggests, this unique literature genre revolves around climate issues, changes, and the environment. These novels are speculative and rooted in climate science. They often pose as a warning against an apocalyptic tomorrow if our attitude towards climate change does not improve.
While this speculative fiction has existed for centuries, Cli-fi gained popularity in the 2010s. Dan Bloom, a freelance news reporter and climate activist, coined the termCli-fiin 2007-08.
Climate fiction is characterised by its anxious and fearful atmosphere. Sometimes, plots use supernatural elements and realism to set the mood. The vision, however, for a cli-fi novel is a hallmark for solar punk and hope punk, genres that embrace and celebrate the optimism for a clean, green, just society.
Examples of Climate Fiction novels are The New Atlantis by Ursula K. Le Guin, Tentacle by Rita Indiana, How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue, and War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi.
References to this literary genre:
From Afrofuturism to ecotopia: A climate-fiction glossary
Bildungsroman Literary Genre
This literary genre follows the life experiences of its protagonist from childhood to adulthood, marking their psychological, emotional, and moral growth. The funny-sounding word bildungsroman comes from the German words Bildung, meaning education or forming, and Roman, meaning novel, thus, ‘novel of education’ or ‘novel of formation’.The genre has its roots in Germanic folklore and gained popularity from Goethe’s Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre.
Examples of Bildungsroman novels include Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
References to this literary genre:
https://celadonbooks.com/bildungsroman-definition
https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/bildungsroman
Ergodic Literary Genre
The term ergodic comes from the Greek ergon, meaning work, and hodos, meaning path. The name was coined by Espen J. Aarseth in his bookCybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature.
Ergodic fiction is an interactive literary genre that requires the reader to participate actively in constructing the narrative rather than passively reading it. The literature can make the readers do so in the form of a puzzle, or by having them follow scattered words, interpret visual elements, jump from random page to random page, rearrange pages, make them read the book in a different orientation, etc.
There is rarely a feeling for a readerlikefeeling complicit in theunfoldings of the plotthey are reading. Another accomplished novel from this literary genre is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski.
More examples of Ergodic literature include The I Ching,which isalso considered one of the earliest examples of this literary genre. Other examples include Piranesi by SusannaClarke,and Maze by Christopher Manson.
Ero Guro
In English, Ero Guro or エログロ translates to erotic grossness and is derived from words like nonsense, grotesque, and of course, erotic. The themes of this literary genre focus on eroticism, decadence, and sexual corruption. The imagery is vivid with surreal atmospheres, inspired by aesthetics like Angura and art movements like German expressionism, traditional Japanese folk art, European decadent literature, and Surrealism.
This weird genre was a reaction to the 1920s Japanese society when topics such asero (eroticism) and guro (grotesque) were taboos. Artists sought to push boundaries and challenge societal norms. If you enjoy a heady cocktail of blood and sex, this is the genre for you.
Examples of Ero Guro literature include theSaDistic Blood and Fetus Collection by Kago Shintarō.
Splatterpunk
Not for the easily-shocked, Splatterpunk is a transgressive literary genre, defined by its graphic violence and explicit gore. It is a sub-genre of horror fiction, known for its hyper-intensive horror with no limits and counterculture alignment. Expect pages over pages littered with indigestible scenes of abuse, sexual assault, and physical violence.
Novels that are Splatterpunk in nature include The Cipher by Kathe Koja (1991), In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami (1997), American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis (1991), and Out by Natsuo Kirino (1997).
Weird Menace
Weird menace, or shudders, were cheap-thrill pulp reads during the Great Depression in 1933 with the launch of Dime Mystery Magazine. It came packaged in lurid covers featuring voluptuous underdressed beauties and leering lunatics. The idea behind this literary genre was to provide inexpensive sensational escape for its readers.
This genre ditches the supernatural elements for human antagonistsand depictsviolence and sadism, rational explanations, and detective/Gothic horror plot lines.
If you want something that intersects horror elements with pulpfiction,and graphic violence with sensational psychological terror, then Weird Menace is the genre for you.
Novels that belong to this unusual genre are Satan’s Roadhouse by Paul Ernst, Devils in the Dark (1979) by Hugh B. Cave, Slaves of Blood Wolves by Arthur J. Burks, and Dance of the Skeletons (1980) by Robert Weinberg.
Dying Earth
Dying Earth is a sub-genre of Science Fiction that depicts the slow degradation of the planet. Although the narrative is usually set millions or billions of years into the future, it is not to be confused with the post-apocalyptic genre, which depicts an already dead earth.
Dying Earth is the perfect literary genre if you want to experience a sense of decay, reflection on human existence in an uncaring universe, world-weariness, and nostalgia for lost civilisations. The works are defined by their philosophical reflections on survival as they explore human fate in a cosmos marked by decline.
Notable works in this genre include Dying of the Light by George R. R. Martin, The Dying Earth Series by Jack Vance, and The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson.
Literary Nonsense
This unusual genre in literature mingles the nonsensical absurd with the meaningful. When thinking of Literary Nonsense, think of Lewis Carroll, John Lennon, and Edward Lear. You get funny, whimsical, and satirical gibberish.
Literary Nonsense is a parody of the world we live in – not in a cruel or mean way, but in away that is silly and humorous.
If you want to put aside the intellectual read to pick a book that relaxes you, tickles you, and makes you laugh, pick a nonsensical book like Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense (1846), Dr. Seuss, Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, and Stupid Poems by Linda de Quincey.
Bizzaro Fiction
Bizzaro Fiction is another unique literary genre that embraces the absurd. You will find narratives are intentionally unconventional and strange.
This unusual genre emerged around 2005 as a response to a growing demand for weird stuff.Think of it as Gen Z of all literary genres that defies traditional storytelling norms and presents something entirely unforeseen.
As a result, being weird and entertaining is the hallmark ofBizzaroFiction. It revolves around peculiar characters, lowbrow humour, settings, and plots that are surreal or straight-up out-of-pocket.
Bizzaro Fiction includes works of Carlton Mellick III and Jeremy Robert Johnson. Titles in this genre include Cuddle Holocaust by Gina Ranalli and Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas.
If you want something similar but more sophisticated, look for New Weird.
Metafiction
Metafiction breaks the fourth wall with a narrative that often includes commentary on its own creation, prompting its readers to consider the writing process.
Not to be confused with Ergodic literature, Metafiction is more than just interactive. It involves complex narration and uses fantasy elements to comment on the nature of storytelling and to highlight its own narrative structure.
The idea behind this niche literary genre is to critique literary norms humorously – all while exploring existential themes and urging the readers to reflect on reality.
Books that fit Metafiction include House of Leave by Mark Z. Danielewski, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, and Life: AUser’sManual by Georges Perec.