Stacks upon stacks of shelves laden with cover after cover. Hallways stretch in all directions, with books towering high above the heads of the librarians. Books of all colors and styles bring life and chaos to a library.
According to the World History Encyclopedia, with ancient Greece came the invention of genres: tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays. Through the Enlightenment, genres became more defined. However, it wasn’t until the 1900s that the term “genre fiction” began to be used, according to Andrew Goldstone.
“Many genres have stayed relatively the same over the years: mystery, romance, fantasy, and historical fiction. The biggest changes seem to be that some genres are divided into sub-categories,” said Deidre Brill, the youth and teen services librarian at the San Carlos Library.
Throughout history, public perception of different kinds of written works has shifted. During the 1800s, novels were looked down upon, with non-fiction and poetry seen as the respectable kinds of literature, according to Katie Lumsden. Nowadays, people make different judgments.
“I hear more disparaging remarks made about alternate reading formats, such as people insinuating that audiobooks and graphic novels are not real books. All forms of reading are valid as both entertainment and information. Our brains utilize different skillsets when they’re engaged with multiple forms of reading,” Brill said.
Novels are less disparaged now, as they have become one of the most popular forms of media.
“I think that fiction is definitely the most common book genre now, especially romance. I’ve been to bookstores and libraries, and there is always a large section for romance. It is a type of book that most people, especially teenagers, like to read,” said Lydia Kurtic, a Carlmont freshman.
The broadest differences in the genres people read now are based on two large factors: age and gender. Gender has always played a role in defining genres, with stereotypes dictating what is considered normal for people of different genders to read. Differences in genre by age also dictate how reading has changed over generations.
In elementary school, kids are very exploratory. With input from their teachers, parents, and peers, children start to figure out what genres they are interested in.
“The most common genres I see students latching onto in the library are nonfiction, fantasy, and graphic novels. Historical fiction, especially when written as action-adventure, is also a big request. Manga requests are growing steadily as well,” said Jeanne Delano, a librarian in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District.
Later on, towards middle school and high school, nonfiction books seem to lose children’s interest. All of the mandatory readings are widely disliked, and reading becomes forced and boring for many.
“For school kids, at least, I think nonfiction is the most looked down upon, or any of the books we’re reading in our current classes, as we see so many of them that we get bored with that story or genre,” Kurtic said.
As children mature into adults, they are able to explore even more genres than before, especially when they gain more empathy and social understanding.
“As a student’s awareness of the world we live in increases, genre interest ebbs and flows accordingly,” Delano said.
Recently, in the United States, there has been a large decrease in reading for pleasure, according to the NEA. With the stress of high school looming over students, they struggle to find time or instead rely on phones for entertainment.
“Although I enjoy reading, I’ve found it really hard to find time to in high school. I am a very busy person, so reading books always becomes a lower priority. At the end of the day, when I’m tired, I’ve turned to my phone,” said Kate Ridgway, a Carlmont senior.
By using the draw of specific genres, social media has helped bolster the popularity of physical books. Although genres can be limiting, they are helpful for categorization and exploration alike.
“I ‘genrefied’ one of the libraries where I work, and it has been successful for finding read-alikes and sticking with a genre a reader is obsessed with at the moment. I was curious whether kids would gravitate only to one section over all others, but I haven’t seen a decline in genre exploration,” Delano said.
From sports to romance to thrillers, genres remain a key part of the literary world, one that encourages engagement and awareness.
