Contemporary Literature – Novel and Movie Genres Fantasy Fantasy novel. Any novel that is disengaged from reality. Often such novels are set in nonexistent worlds, such as under the earth, in a fairyland, on the moon, etc. The characters are often something other than human or include nonhuman characters. (Literary Salt) Fantasy films, usually considered a sub-genre , are most likely to overlap with the film genres of science fiction and horror , although they are distinct. Fantasies take the audience to netherworld places (or another dimension) where events are unlikely to occur in real life - they transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. They often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, and the extraordinary. They may appeal to both children and adults, depending upon the particular film. (AMC) : The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Four siblings -- Edmund ( ), Lucy ( ), Peter (William Moseley ), and Susan (Anna Popplewell ) -- are sent from their London home to the country estate of an eccentric professor in order to ensure their safety during World War II. The house is very dull, except for a large, ornate wardrobe discovered by young Lucy during a game of hide- and-seek. Venturing inside of it in the hopes of finding a hiding place, Lucy is transported to a snowy alternate universe: a magical world called Narnia. Director: Movie Details: Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, Frozen Lake Productions Year: 2005 Run Time: 139 minutesCountry: USA Language: English Set in: London, , UK, London MPAA Rating: PG (for battle sequences and frightening moments) Category: Feature Genre/Type: Fantasy, Children's/Family Filmed in: Color Release: 2005 12 09 (USA) (AMC)

CL Movie Genre WS Page 1 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Elements of the Epic Hero Cycle Element Example The main character is a hero, who is often possessed of supernatural abilities or qualities

The hero is charged with a quest

The hero is tested, often to prove the worthiness of himself and his quest

The presence of numerous mythical beings, magical and helpful animals, and human helpers and companions

The hero's travels take him to a supernatural world, often one that normal human beings are barred from entering

A cycle must reach a low point where the hero nearly gives up his quest or appears defeated

A resurrection

Restitution: Often this takes the form of the hero regaining his rightful place on the throne.

CL Movie Genre WS Page 2 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Mulit-Cultural Perspectives [Biopic, Drama] Multicultural novel. A novel written by a member of or about a cultural minority group, giving insight into non-Western or non- dominant cultural experiences and values, either in the United States or abroad. (Literary Salt) Bend it Like Beckham: An independent-minded young woman discovers the joys of football, much to her family's chagrin, in this upbeat British comedy drama. Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra ) is an 18-year-old growing up in West London, where her family has taken every effort to stay in touch with its Indian heritage. Jess' father and mother (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan ) are after their daughter to go to law school, learn to cook a traditional Indian dinner, and settle down with a nice Indian boy -- the latter of which is high on the agenda of her older sister Pinky (Archie Panjabi ), who is soon to wed her longtime beau Teetu (Kulvinder Ghir ). Movie Details: Director: Gurinder Chadha Year: 2002 Run Time: 112 minutes Country: UK Language: English MPAA Rating: PG13 (for language and sexual content) Category: Feature Genre/Type: Comedy Drama Filmed in: Color Release: 2003 03 12 (USA - Limited) AMC) Cultural Connections: Relate Movie and literary work to societal/cultural connections including: Element Movie Example Book Stereotypes - A stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior assumptions. Diversity : The term diversity is a form of euphemistic shorthand to describe differences in racial or ethnic classifications, age, gender, religion, philosophy, physical abilities, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, intelligence, mental health, physical health, genetic attributes, behavior, attractiveness, place of origin, cultural values, or political view as well as other identifying features. Cultural Heritage ("national heritage" or just "heritage") is the legacy of physical and intangible attributes of the past of a group or society that are selected from the past, and inherited, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. What is considered cultural heritage by one generation may be rejected by the next generation, only to be revived by a succeeding generation. Discrimination is a behavior (an action), with reference to unequal treatment of people because they are members of a particular group. Farley also put discrimination into three categories: • Personal / Individual Discrimination is directed toward a specific individual and refers to any act that leads to unequal treatment because of the individual's real or perceived group membership. • Legal Discrimination refers to "unequal treatment, on the grounds of group membership, that is upheld by law." [3] Apartheid is an example of legal discrimination, as are also various post-Civil war laws in the southern United States that legally disadvantaged African-Americans with respect to property rights, employment rights and the exercise of constitutional rights. • Institutional Discrimination refers to unequal treatment that is entrenched in basic social institutions resulting in advantaging one group over another. The Indian caste system and European feudal system are historical examples of institutional discrimination. As with prejudice generally, these three types of discrimination are correlated and may be found to varying degrees in individuals and society at large. Many forms of discrimination based upon prejudice are outwardly acceptable in most societies. CL Movie Genre WS Page 3 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

A prejudice is a preconceived belief, opinion, or judgment toward a group of people or a single person because of race, social class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, political beliefs , religion, line of work or other personal characteristics. It also means a priori beliefs (without knowledge of the facts) and includes "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence." [1] Although positive and negative prejudice both exist, when used negatively, "prejudice" implies fear and antipathy toward such a group or person. • Cognitive Prejudice refers to what people believe to be true: for example, in adherence to a particular metaphysical or methodological philosophy at the expense of other philosophies which may offer a more complete theoretical explanation. • Affective Prejudice refers to what people like and dislike: for example, in attitudes toward members of particular classes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, or creed. • Behavioral Prejudice refers to how people are inclined to behave. It is regarded as an attitude because people do not act on their feelings. An example of conative (motivation/will/drive) prejudice may be found in expressions of what should be done if the opportunity presents itself. These three types of prejudice are correlated, but all need not be present in a particular individual. Someone may believe that a particular group possesses low levels of intelligence, but harbor no ill feeling towards that group. A group may be disliked because of intense competition for jobs, but still recognize no differences between groups. Belief systems - Religious belief usually relates to the existence, nature and worship of a deity or deities and divine involvement in the universe and human life. Alternately, it may also relate to values and practices transmitted by a spiritual leader. Unlike other belief systems, which may be passed on orally, religious belief tends to be codified in literate societies (religion in non- literate societies is still largely passed on orall)y. In some religions, like the Abrahamic religions, it is held that most of the core beliefs have been divinely revealed. Religious belief can also involve causes, principles or activities believed in with zeal or conscientious devotion concerning points or matters of ethics or conscience, not necessarily limited to organized religions. Gender is the wide set of characteristics that are seen to distinguish between male and female entities, extending from one's biological sex to, in humans, one's social role or gender identity. As a word, it has more than one valid definition. In linguistics, it refers to characteristics of words. In ordinary speech, it is used interchangeably with " sex " to denote the condition of being male or female. In the social sciences, however, it refers specifically to social differences such as gender roles.

CL Movie Genre WS Page 4 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Science Fiction Science fiction novel. A novel in which futuristic technology or otherwise altered scientific principles contribute in a significant way to the adventures. Often the novel assumes a set of rules or principles or facts and then traces their logical consequences in some form. For example, given that a man discovers how to make himself invisible, what might happen? (Literary Salt) Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters ('things or creatures from space'), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. They are sometimes an offshoot of fantasy films, or they share some similarities with action /adventure films. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind and easily overlaps with horror films, particularly when technology or alien life forms become malevolent, as in the "Atomic Age" of sci-fi films in the 1950s. (AMC) Star Wars - A New Hope : George Lucas ' mythological popcorn movie is a two-hour roller-coaster ride that has passed into movie legend. The story, for the tiny number of people not familiar with it, concerns a farm boy named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill ) who discovers that the used robot recently purchased by his family plays back a message from one Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher ), begging for help from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke asks his father's friend Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness ) about this, and he discovers that Ben and Obi-Wan are one and the same. Movie Details: Director: George Lucas Produced By: 20th Century Fox Year: 1977 Run Time: 121 minutes Country: USA Language: English MPAA Rating: PG Category: Feature Genre/Type: Science Fiction Filmed In: Color (AMC) Science fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas". Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possibilities. The settings for science fiction are often contrary to known reality.

CL Movie Genre WS Page 5 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Science Fiction Element Movie Example Book A setting in the future, in alternative timelines, or in a historical past that contradicts known facts of history or the archaeological record

A setting in outer space, on other worlds, or involving aliens

Stories that involve technology or scientific principles that contradict known laws of nature

Hero

Helpers/Companions of the hero

Impossible quest

Shadowy villians

Stories that involve discovery or application of new scientific principles, such as time travel or psionics (the study and/or practice of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples: telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche), or new technology, such as nanotechnology, faster-than-light travel or robots, or of new and different political or social systems (e.g., a dystopia, or a situation where organized society has collapsed) (Wikipedia)

CL Movie Genre WS Page 6 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Crime/Court/Justice/Mystery [Thriller, Detective/Mystery, Drama] Detective novel. A novel focusing on the solving of a crime, often by a brilliant detective, and usually employing the elements of mystery and suspense. (Literary Salt) Adventure novel. A novel where exciting events are more important than character development and sometimes theme. (Literary Salt) Mystery novel. A novel whose driving characteristic is the element of suspense or mystery. Strange, unexplained events, vague threats or terrors, unknown forces or antagonists, all may appear in a mystery novel. (Literary Salt) Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers, serialized films , and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown. (Literary Salt) Detective-mystery films are usually considered a sub-type or sub-genre of crime/gangster films (or film noir ), or suspense or thriller films that focus on the unsolved crime (usually the murder or disappearance of one or more of the characters, or a theft), and on the central character - the hard-boiled detective-hero, as he/she meets various adventures and challenges in the cold and methodical pursuit of the criminal or the solution to the crime. (AMC) National Treasure: A man sets out to steal a lost fortune in order to save it in this adventure drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer . Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage ) is an archeologist who is from the eighth generation of a family who has shared an unusual quest. As Gates-family legend has it, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin hid a massive cache of gold during the waning days of the Revolutionary War and left clues as to its whereabouts in the original drafts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Director: Jon Turteltaub Movie Details: Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Saturn Films, Junction Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films Year: 2004 Run Time: 130 minutes Country: USA Language: English MPAA Rating: PG (for action violence and some scary images) Category: Feature: Genre/Type: Adventure Filmed in: Color Release: 2004 11 19 (USA)

CL Movie Genre WS Page 7 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Crime/Court/Justice/Mystery [Thriller, Detective/Mystery, Drama] Element Movie Example Book Brilliant detective (hero/protagonist)

Protagonists' helpers companion(s)

Brilliant criminal (villain antagonist)

Exciting/unexplained events, threats of terror, unknown forces or antagonists

Exotic local(s)

Cold and methodical pursuit of criminal, solution to the crime, treasure hunt

Clues / map to follow to find treasure or solve crime

CL Movie Genre WS Page 8 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.

Coming of Age [Drama] Coming-of-age story. A type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence. Some of the shifts that take place are these: • ignorance to knowledge • idealism to realism • innocence to experience • immature responses to mature responses (Literary • false view of world to correct view Salt) Napoleon Dynamite: The directorial debut of filmmaker Jared Hess , who also co-wrote the screenplay, Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky, offbeat comedy set in the small Idaho town of Preston. Jon Heder stars in the titular role, a carrot-topped oddball with a decidedly eccentric family that includes his llama-loving, dune-buggy enthusiast grandmother. The story centers on the local high school's race for class president. Using some nontraditional means, Napoleon is determined to help his pal Pedro (Efrem Ramirez ) run a winning campaign and defeat popular girl Summer (Haylie Duff ). Movie Details: Director: Jared Hess Studio: Napoleon Pictures Limited, Access Films, Fox Searchlight, Cinetic Media Year: 2004 Run Time: 86 minutes Country: USA Language: English Set in: Preston, ID MPAA Rating: PG (for thematic elements and language) Category: Feature Genre/Type: Comedy/Coming of Age Filmed in: Color Release: 2004 06 11 (USA - Limited) Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Teenaged Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick ) is a legend in his own time thanks to his uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last grand duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, and embarks on a one-day bacchanal through the streets of Chicago. Dogging Ferris' trail at every turn is high-school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones ), determined to catch Bueller in the act of class-cutting. Writer/director John Hughes once again tries to wed satire, slapstick, and social commentary, as Ferris Bueller's Day Off starts like a house afire and goes on to make "serious" points about status-seeking and casual parental cruelties. Movie Details: Director: John Hughes Studio: Paramount Year: 1986 Run Time: 103 minutes Country: USA Language: English Set in: Chicago, IL MPAA Rating: PG13 Category: Feature Genre/Type: Comedy Filmed in: Color Release: 1986 06 11 (USA) (AMC)

How do the elements of the coming of age story play out in the movie? ______

CL Movie Genre WS Page 9 of 9 Payant Dirks, Tim. Filmsite. American Movie Classics Corporation. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html. accessed January 1, 2009 Harris, Robert. A Glossary of Literary Terms, Literary Salt, http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm. version 11 October 2008. accessed 1 January 2009.