G3. The genre's conventions: which are used? AI
Genre craft. One line per book. Open a book for the full answer, charts and cited lines.
| Book | Genre | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Treasure Island | Thriller and adventure | Adventure conventions used include the map, the crew of mixed loyalty, the mentor figure, the rival antagonist, and the final treasure discovery. The book follows the journey structure closely. |
| The Thirty-Nine Steps | Thriller and adventure | The book uses spy thriller conventions: coded messages, false identities, infiltration, a shadowy enemy organisation, and a race against time. It employs the innocent man on the run trope effectively. |
| The Prisoner of Zenda | Thriller and adventure | The book uses the thriller convention of a ticking clock: the King must be rescued before he is murdered. It uses the adventure convention of a journey with physical trials. It uses the romance convention of love … |
| Around the World in Eighty Days | Thriller and adventure | The book uses adventure conventions: the wager as inciting incident, exotic travel, narrow escapes, and a loyal companion. Thriller conventions include the detective's pursuit, the false accusation, the ticking … |
| King Solomon's Mines | Thriller and adventure | The book uses the lost world convention (Kukuanaland), the map to treasure, the loyal band of companions, the wise guide (Infadoos), the usurper villain, and the rightful heir. It follows adventure genre conventions … |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Crime and mystery | The book uses classic mystery conventions: the brilliant detective, the loyal companion narrator, the seemingly supernatural crime revealed as human scheming, red herrings, and the final explanation. All are present … |
| A Study in Scarlet | Crime and mystery | The book uses detective fiction conventions: the brilliant detective, the loyal companion narrator, the bumbling official police, the crime scene investigation, and the final revelation of the criminal's identity and … |
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Crime and mystery | Conventions used: the brilliant detective, the loyal companion narrator, the bumbling official police, disguise and deception, observation of tiny details, and the final explanation of the crime. |
| The Moonstone | Crime and mystery | The book uses multiple narrators (a convention of sensation fiction), a detective who is wrong, false suspects, and a twist ending. It employs documents and letters as evidence. The mystery is solved through an … |
| The Woman in White | Crime and mystery | The book uses Victorian mystery conventions: a mysterious woman, hidden secrets, forged documents, asylum imprisonment, and a gentleman detective. It also employs the sensation novel's focus on crime within … |
| Pride and Prejudice | Romance | The novel uses romance conventions: the meet-cute (assembly ball), the misunderstanding (Wickham's lies), the barrier (class and family shame), the grand gesture (Darcy's intervention), the confession (ch 58), and … |
| Persuasion | Romance | The novel uses Regency romance conventions: witty social commentary, the heroine of uncertain prospects, the hero of superior worth, obstacles from family and society, misunderstandings based on pride and prejudice, … |
| Emma | Romance | The book uses romance conventions: the heroine must learn and grow, the hero is morally superior, obstacles are internal (Emma's pride and blindness) rather than external, and the ending is marriage. It avoids … |
| Jane Eyre | Romance | The book uses Gothic conventions: the mysterious attic, the mad woman, fire and burning, supernatural elements like the voice across the moors, and the brooding hero with a dark secret. It also uses the Cinderella … |
| Dracula | Gothic and horror | Conventions used: the isolated castle, the mysterious foreign count, the invasion of the modern world by ancient evil, the band of heroes united against darkness, the use of sacred objects for protection, the … |
| Frankenstein | Gothic and horror | Gothic conventions used: the isolated castle-like laboratory, the creature as a dark double, the pursuit across desolate landscapes, the frame narrative, letters revealing secrets, and the sublime natural settings. … |
| Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde | Gothic and horror | Uses gothic conventions: the double, the secret chamber, the sealed letter, the mysterious visitor, physical deformity as moral marker, and the fall of a respectable man into darkness. |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Gothic and horror | Gothic conventions used include the portrait as a cursed object, the beautiful exterior hiding corruption, secrets and concealment, moral decay, and a fall from grace. The novel uses the Gothic's interest in the gap … |
| Wuthering Heights | Gothic and horror | Gothic conventions used: the isolated moor setting, the mysterious stranger with a dark past, the haunted house, supernatural visions, the orphan raised in hardship, the divided heroine torn between two men, and the … |
| The Turn of the Screw | Gothic and horror | Gothic conventions used: isolated country house, mysterious past, beautiful but corrupted children, dead servants returning as ghosts, the governess as the only one who sees the truth, atmosphere of moral corruption. … |
| The Time Machine | Science fiction | The book uses the convention of the scientist protagonist testing a theory, the detailed explanation of the invention, the exploration of an alien world, and the return with proof. It avoids utopian optimism by … |
| The War of the Worlds | Science fiction | The book uses the convention of the ordinary man caught in extraordinary events. It employs scientific speculation, the incomprehensibility of alien intelligence, and the theme of human insignificance. |
| The Invisible Man | Science fiction | Science fiction conventions used: the lone scientist, the transformative discovery, the unintended consequences, the isolated protagonist. The book uses the 'science gone wrong' trope and the 'power corrupts' theme. |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Fantasy and children's | The book uses the portal fantasy convention, the wise mentor figure in the Caterpillar, and the magical object that grants power. It avoids epic quests and high stakes typical of adult fantasy. |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | Fantasy and children's | Fantasy conventions used include: a hero from the ordinary world, a magical mentor (Glinda), companions with complementary gifts, a dark antagonist (the Witch), magical objects with power, and a journey through … |
| The Secret Garden | Fantasy and children's | The book uses the orphan-finds-home trope, the magical garden as sanctuary, the wise mentor figures (Ben, Mrs. Sowerby, Dickon), and the transformation through love and nature. It avoids dark peril and graphic … |
| The Wind in the Willows | Fantasy and children's | Fantasy conventions used: a hidden magical realm (Badger's home, Pan's island), a mentor figure (Badger), a journey with trials, and a climactic battle. The book avoids dark magic and high stakes typical of adult … |
| Great Expectations | Literary | Literary conventions used: unreliable narrator reflecting on past, moral blindness revealed through hindsight, symbolic settings (the marshes, Satis House), and a protagonist learning through suffering and loss. |
| A Christmas Carol | Literary | Literary conventions used: intrusive narrator voice, moral commentary, symbolic settings (cold winter, warm hearths), character-driven narrative, and a focus on spiritual and emotional growth over external action. |
| The Great Gatsby | Literary | The novel uses literary conventions of an unreliable narrator gaining wisdom, symbolic objects like the green light, and a tragic fall from illusion to reality. It employs rich symbolism and psychological depth. |
| Heart of Darkness | Literary | Literary conventions used include an unreliable narrator, frame narrative, symbolic imagery, and philosophical digression. The book employs introspection, moral ambiguity, and the exploration of civilisation versus … |
| Kidnapped | Thriller and adventure | The book uses adventure conventions: the innocent protagonist thrust into danger, loyal companions (Alan), exotic locations (Highlands), pursuits and escapes, and a final confrontation. It avoids some conventions: no … |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Thriller and adventure | The book uses the revenge convention (Dantès swears vengeance in chapter 17), the hidden identity trope (Monte Cristo's aliases), the elaborate scheme (poisonings, financial ruin, exposure), and the redemption arc … |
| The Three Musketeers | Thriller and adventure | The book uses adventure conventions: the loyal band of friends, the quest with obstacles, the mysterious antagonist, the final trial. It also uses thriller conventions: assassination attempts, poison, forged letters, … |
| The Riddle of the Sands | Thriller and adventure | The book uses spy thriller conventions: the mysterious letter, the hidden agent (Dollmann), the investigation, the close calls, and the final confrontation. It uses adventure conventions: the journey by sea, the … |
| The Scarlet Pimpernel | Thriller and adventure | The book uses thriller conventions: the masked hero, the blackmail plot, the false identity, the spy network, the chase across borders, and the final reveal. It also uses romance conventions: the estranged couple, … |
| The Lost World | Thriller and adventure | The book uses the convention of the skeptical scientist proven right, the loyal band of companions, the exotic location, and the return with proof. It employs the frame of the expedition narrative and the public … |
| Captain Blood | Thriller and adventure | The adventure genre conventions used include: the wronged hero (Blood arrested unjustly), the journey across exotic lands (Caribbean), loyal companions (Pitt, Wolverstone), a nemesis (Bishop), physical trials … |
| Lady Audley's Secret | Crime and mystery | The book uses key mystery conventions: a missing person, circumstantial evidence, a determined amateur investigator, a beautiful but dangerous antagonist, and a final confession. It also employs the sensation novel's … |
| The Murders in the Rue Morgue | Crime and mystery | The book uses the locked room mystery, the brilliant detective, the bumbling police, the innocent suspect, and the logical deduction to solve the crime. |
| The Innocence of Father Brown | Crime and mystery | The book uses detective conventions: the brilliant investigator (Father Brown), the criminal antagonist (Flambeau), the false suspect, the clue-based deduction, and the final revelation. It subverts the genre by … |
| The Big Bow Mystery | Crime and mystery | The book uses detective rivalry (Wimp vs. Grodman), false suspects (Denzil, Mortlake), circumstantial evidence, and a final revelation. It follows classic mystery conventions closely. |
| The Leavenworth Case | Crime and mystery | The book uses classic mystery conventions: the locked room, the suspicious handkerchief, the hidden key, the detective mentor (Gryce), the amateur investigator (Raymond), red herrings (Clavering, Mary), and the … |
| The Red Thumb Mark | Crime and mystery | The book uses classic detective conventions: the brilliant mentor figure (Thorndyke), the loyal assistant (Jervis), the seemingly damning evidence (thumb-print), the false suspect (Reuben), and the hidden culprit … |
| The Amateur Cracksman | Crime and mystery | The book uses the detective pursuing the criminal, the clever heist, the narrow escape, and the criminal's hidden identity. It subverts the genre by making the criminal the protagonist and the detective the antagonist. |
| The Secret Agent | Crime and mystery | The book uses the detective investigation convention (Heat and the Assistant Commissioner), the hidden criminal (Verloc), and the revelation of guilt. It avoids the puzzle plot and fair play detective conventions, … |
| Sense and Sensibility | Romance | The novel uses marriage as the resolution for women's financial security, secret engagements, misunderstandings between lovers, and the contrast between sense and sensibility. It employs social comedy through vulgar … |
| North and South | Romance | The book uses several romance conventions: the proud hero and spirited heroine, class difference as obstacle, misunderstanding and jealousy creating separation, a grand gesture (Margaret shielding Thornton from the … |
| Far from the Madding Crowd | Romance | The book uses romance conventions: love at first sight (Gabriel's instant attraction), the rival suitors (Troy and Boldwood), the heroine's growth through suffering, the hero's patient devotion, and the final union … |
| The Enchanted April | Romance | The book uses the escape fantasy trope, the transformative place, and the renewal of love. It uses the convention of four women bonding. It employs witty dialogue and social observation typical of romantic comedy. It … |
| The Sheik | Romance | The book uses several romance conventions. The alpha male hero with a hidden heart. The heroine who transforms through love. The obstacle of social class and cultural difference. The moment of confession and … |
| Daddy Long Legs | Romance | The book uses romance conventions: the mysterious benefactor, the hidden identity, the slow-burn attraction, the misunderstanding about feelings, and the climactic revelation and union. It avoids melodrama and … |
| Carmilla | Gothic and horror | Conventions used: isolated castle setting, mysterious beautiful stranger, supernatural illness, locked rooms that cannot contain the preternatural, dreams blurring with reality, expert ally (Baron), and the final … |
| The Castle of Otranto | Gothic and horror | Gothic conventions used include the cursed castle, supernatural portents, hidden nobility, usurpation and rightful heir, tyrannical villain, pursued heroine, mysterious parentage, and divine judgment. The prophecy … |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Gothic and horror | The book uses gothic conventions: the mysterious masked figure, the heroine in distress, the underground labyrinth, the supernatural atmosphere, and the dark secret. It uses romance conventions: the love triangle, … |
| The Great God Pan | Gothic and horror | Gothic conventions used: forbidden experiment, mysterious woman, suicide epidemic, corrupted house, documents revealing truth, atmosphere of dread, and the monster as product of human hubris. |
| The Yellow Wallpaper | Gothic and horror | Uses gothic conventions of isolation, medical authority as threat, the uncanny wallpaper pattern, and a woman's descent into madness. Avoids supernatural elements in favour of psychological horror. |
| The Call of Cthulhu | Gothic and horror | The book uses gothic conventions including ancient cults, forbidden texts, dreams as supernatural conduits, and the corruption of the innocent. It employs the frame narrative typical of gothic fiction and the motif … |
| The Island of Doctor Moreau | Science fiction | The book uses the mad scientist convention (Moreau), the isolated laboratory setting, the hubris of scientific ambition, and the loss of control over creation. It avoids utopian visions, focusing on dystopian … |
| Journey to the Centre of the Earth | Science fiction | The book uses exploration, discovery, and wonder as core conventions. It features a mentor figure (the Professor), a reluctant hero (Harry), and a guide (Hans). It includes scientific explanation of phenomena and … |
| A Princess of Mars | Science fiction | The book uses the stranger in a strange land convention, the lost world, and the advanced alien civilisation. It employs telepathy, air ships, and artificial atmosphere as tech. |
| Herland | Science fiction | The book uses the SF convention of the hidden world discovered by outsiders. It employs the thought experiment: what if women ruled alone? It includes the clash of cultures and values. It avoids space travel, … |
| Flatland | Science fiction | The book uses SF conventions: a strange world with different physics, a visitor from a higher dimension, the protagonist's education in new knowledge, conflict with authorities who suppress truth, and the question of … |
| Erewhon | Science fiction | Science fiction conventions used: hidden world discovery, inverted society rules, philosophical exploration of technology, and the stranger-in-a-strange-land perspective. The narrator observes and reports on … |
| The Last Man | Science fiction | The book uses the lone survivor convention (chapters 28 to 29), the collapse of civilisation (chapters 15 to 27), and the question of whether humanity can endure catastrophe. It avoids technological solutions, instead … |
| Through the Looking Glass | Fantasy and children's | Uses the portal fantasy convention (mirror as gateway), the quest structure (eight squares to queendom), and the magical mentor (White Knight). Avoids romance and violence. |
| A Little Princess | Fantasy and children's | The book uses fairy tale conventions: a virtuous heroine, a cruel antagonist, magical gifts, a hidden benefactor, and a happy ending. It employs the 'princess in disguise' trope and the theme of inner worth … |
| The Jungle Book | Fantasy and children's | The book uses the fantasy convention of a hidden world (the jungle) with its own rules (the Law). It uses the children's convention of animal characters with human traits. It uses the adventure convention of a … |
| Five Children and It | Fantasy and children's | The book uses the wish granting convention, the magical creature mentor, the daily reset (sunset), and the lesson that magic has consequences. It avoids dark fantasy and focuses on the lighter, more whimsical side of … |
| The Railway Children | Fantasy and children's | The book uses children's fiction conventions: resourceful child protagonists, a benevolent adult mentor (the old gentleman), kindness rewarded, danger overcome through courage and quick thinking, and a restored … |
| The Princess and the Goblin | Fantasy and children's | The book uses fairy-tale conventions: a princess in danger, a magical grandmother, a brave peasant hero, magical objects with hidden powers, and a quest to defeat evil. It also uses gothic elements: underground … |
| Peter and Wendy | Fantasy and children's | Fantasy conventions used: the chosen one (Peter), the magical mentor (Peter teaches flying), the secondary world with its own rules, the dark lord (Hook), and the final battle. The book subverts the convention that … |
| The Worm Ouroboros | Fantasy and children's | The book uses the chosen one trope (Juss), the quest for a lost loved one, the dark lord antagonist, magical trials, and the final battle. It employs archaic language and a high-fantasy setting. It avoids romance as … |
| Anne of Green Gables | Fantasy and children's | The book uses the coming-of-age convention of a misfit finding home and family. It employs the mentor figures of Marilla and Matthew. It uses the kindred spirit trope with Diana. It includes the redemption arc from … |
| Black Beauty | Fantasy and children's | Uses animal fable convention, moral instruction through experience, episodic journey structure. Employs talking animals who reflect on human nature. Rewards virtue (Jerry, Joe) and shows consequences of vice (Reuben … |
| Middlemarch | Literary | The novel uses realist conventions: detailed social observation, multiple interconnected plots, provincial setting, and the marriage plot as a test of character. It employs free indirect style and the omniscient … |
| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Literary | Literary conventions used: free indirect style, authorial asides, symbolic landscapes (The Chase, Stonehenge), and a protagonist whose character is tested by fate. The narrator judges society and champions the … |
| Mrs Dalloway | Literary | Literary conventions used: stream-of-consciousness narration, multiple viewpoints, exploration of memory and time, focus on a single day, examination of social structures and individual consciousness. The novel uses … |
| To the Lighthouse | Literary | Literary conventions used include stream of consciousness, interior monologue, and the exploration of time's passage. The book uses symbolism (the Lighthouse, the painting, the beam of light) and focuses on the … |
| Anna Karenina | Literary | The novel uses literary conventions: the bildungsroman (Levin's growth), the tragic affair (Anna and Vronsky), the domestic novel (Levin and Kitty's marriage), and philosophical inquiry. It employs multiple … |
| Crime and Punishment | Literary | The book uses the detective investigation convention (Porfiry's pursuit), the guilty conscience motif (Raskolnikov's fever and paranoia), and the redemption through suffering arc. It subverts the crime novel by … |
| Madame Bovary | Literary | The novel uses the literary convention of the flawed protagonist whose desires exceed reality. It employs free indirect style to show inner conflict. It includes social satire (Homais, Lheureux) and ironic commentary … |
| The Age of Innocence | Literary | The novel uses literary conventions: unreliable narrator (Archer's blindness to May), irony (society's hypocrisy), symbolism (flowers, Europe versus America), and the tragic arc of a protagonist undone by social forces. |
| Silas Marner | Literary | The book uses literary conventions: omniscient narration with free indirect style, thematic motifs (gold versus love, isolation versus community), symbolic objects (the gold, the child), and a rags to riches arc. It … |
| Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Literary | The book uses the picaresque convention of a journey with episodic encounters. It employs social satire through the King and Duke's cons. It uses first person narration to create intimacy. It employs irony and moral … |
| Hamlet | Plays | The play uses revenge tragedy conventions: a murdered father, a son sworn to avenge, a villain who schemes to prevent justice, and a final duel that kills the avenger and the villain. Madness, both feigned and real, … |
| Macbeth | Plays | Conventions used: a noble protagonist, supernatural forces, tragic flaw of ambition, soliloquies revealing inner conflict, a ghost, and a final battle. The play follows classical tragedy structure. |
| Romeo and Juliet | Plays | Tragic conventions used: the Prologue announces doom, the lovers are noble, the feud is ancient and senseless, fate is invoked, the deaths are sudden and irrevocable, and the resolution brings peace through loss. The … |
| Othello | Plays | The play uses tragic conventions: a noble protagonist, a fatal flaw (jealousy), an antagonist who exploits it, rising action through manipulation, and a catastrophic ending. Soliloquies reveal inner conflict. The … |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Plays | Comedy conventions used: witty dialogue, physical comedy (Bottom's transformation), misunderstandings, and a resolution that restores order and pairs off lovers. |
| Twelfth Night | Plays | Key conventions used: disguise and mistaken identity, love triangles, witty banter, comic servants, a prank on a foolish character, and a resolution pairing lovers. The play employs all major romantic comedy tropes. |
| Doctor Faustus | Plays | The play uses the morality play convention of a protagonist tempted by evil forces and offered grace. It employs the tragic convention of a fall from high estate through fatal flaw (pride and lust for knowledge). |
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Plays | The play uses mistaken identity, the clever servant (Lane), romantic obstacles from authority figures (Lady Bracknell), and the revelation of true identity as the resolution. Witty repartee and epigrams are central … |
| A Doll's House | Plays | Uses conventions of realistic drama: domestic setting, linear time, dialogue driven plot, social critique. Avoids melodrama despite the secret and threat. Focuses on psychological truth over spectacle. |
| Hedda Gabler | Plays | The play uses conventions of realistic drama: naturalistic dialogue, domestic setting, social commentary, and the tragic fall of a flawed protagonist driven by pride and desire for control. |
| Pygmalion | Plays | The play uses witty dialogue, social satire, class mobility as a theme, a flawed protagonist (Higgins), and ironic reversals. It employs the convention of the bet and the experiment as plot drivers. |
| The School for Scandal | Plays | The play uses stock characters of the genre: the virtuous young man, the false friend, the scheming woman, the jealous husband, and the gossiping circle. It employs disguise, misunderstanding, and the revelation of … |
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