If you are like me and ever wondered about the werewolf genre within fiction and whether it was classified as horror or fantasy you want to read this post now because this is the post for you.
First before finding out what genre werewolves are classified under let’s look at the difference of what the fantasy genre and horror genre in fiction is defined as.
The fantasy genre within novel writing and literature features both magic and supernatural elements that evolve around made up and imaginary worlds , timelines and creatures . It usually has at least 8 sub categories
- High or epic fantasy.
- Low fantasy.
- Sword and sorcery.
- Dark fantasy.
- Fables.
- Fairy tales.
- Superhero fiction.
Horror genre is focused more on mood. In order to work it has to create an unsettling atmosphere and give its intended reader a sense of fear. Even though it may have fantastical elements within its genre, the setting is usually entirely realistic.
So I found an article called 144 Genres and Subgenres for Fiction Writing by Tonya Thompson and in the article werewolves are classified under monsters which is a subgenre of Horror.
But did you know there was another sub-genre that is considered in the realm of the fantasy genre?
It is called the paranormal genre or speculative fiction and this genre is a subgenre of fantasy. The paranormal genre consists of all of the monsters that go bump in the night which includes werewolves.
Whereas wikipedia has defined the werewolf genre and classified it as being a genre that can be categorized in both horror and fantasy
Just by looking at these two definitions of where the werewolf genre is categorized under we can assume that the werewolf genre is used both in fantasy and horror and can be used in an exceptional and varied storylines and plots because of the ancients roots the werewolf folklores stem from with its various re interpretations of the genre.
Thus a writer can draw from previous folklores and myths of werewolves in order to create a fantastical and horrific tale.
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Are you a writer who writes about werewolves in the horror or fantasy genre?
I want to know so let me know in the comments below.
Also Check out the excerpt for the upcoming werewolf short story IN THE HOUR OF HUMANITY
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