Genre
What Genre means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Genre
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Genre in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A recognisable literary category, which crime fiction became in the mid-19th century and which gained academic recognition in the 20th century.
The type of the text itself, whether it is a post-modern novel, science fiction, satirical poetry, historical and political drama.
Topics that use Genre
- Elements of crime writing (AQA A-Level)
- Elements of political and social protest writing (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Institutional authority
- Language and power
- Ambiguity and unresolved endings
- Ambition and power
- Betrayal
- Class and social voice
- Closure and resolution
- Crime across literary periods
Using Genre in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise English Literature questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge