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63-479: Hope's setting lent its name to a literary genre involving fictional countries, which is known as Ruritanian romance . Jurists specialising in international law and private international law use Ruritania and other fictional countries when describing a hypothetical case illustrating some legal point. Examples include: M. Rothbard – a former student of von Mises – similarly used the fictional country in his own works. Ruritania has also been used to describe

126-556: A dystopian future UK, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen , and From Hell , speculating on the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper . Douglas Adams wrote the five-volume science fiction comedy trilogy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , and also wrote the humorous fantasy detective novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency . Clive Barker horror novels include The Hellbound Heart . The "Reading list", compiled by

189-468: A musical and other media. Baroness Orczy's character The Old Man in the Corner (1908) was among the earliest armchair detectives to be created. Her short stories about Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910) were an early example of a female detective as main character. John Buchan wrote the adventure novels on Prester John (1910) and four novels telling the adventures of Richard Hannay , of which

252-420: A 1934 Ruritanian novel, The Prince Commands . Although "Ruritania" originally referred to a contemporary country, the idea has been adapted for use in historical fiction . A subgenre of this is historical romance , such as Jennifer Blake 's Royal Seduction and its sequel Royal Passion ; both are set in the nineteenth century and feature Prince Rolfe (later King) and his son Prince Roderic respectively, of

315-524: A Cold War thriller. War novels include Alistair MacLean thrillers The Guns of Navarone (1957), Where Eagles Dare (1968), and Jack Higgins ' The Eagle Has Landed (1975). Patrick O'Brian 's nautical historical novels feature the Aubrey–Maturin series set in the Royal Navy , the first being Master and Commander (1969). Ronald Welch 's Carnegie Medal winning novel Knight Crusader

378-533: A coup against himself and then flees to Venice in order to experience the life of an ordinary person. Similarly, Charlie Chaplin 's A King in New York (1957) starts with King Igor Shahdov being overthrown by a revolution in his Eastern European country Estrovia and coming to live in exile in New York. In the satire The Mouse That Roared (1955), the Duchy of Grand Fenwick attempts to avoid bankruptcy by declaring war on

441-474: A form of "literary exploitation" or "narrative colonization" of the peoples of the Balkans. While discussing how new revolutionary leadership consciously or unconsciously may inherit certain elements of the previous regime, Benedict Anderson , in his book Imagined Communities , mentions among other examples " Josip Broz 's revival of Ruritanian pomp and ceremony." Ruritanian romance Ruritanian romance

504-448: A formidable comics supervillain . The Grand Budapest Hotel , a 2014 comedy film written and directed by Wes Anderson , is set in the fictional nation of Zubrowka, a central European alpine state teetering on the outbreak of war. The Peacher Series by Michael Arram is 16 novels published online which occur largely in modern day Ruritania, renamed Ruthenia. The Crown of Tassilo is a second series of five more novels which occur in

567-459: A number of short stories and a novel in the fictitious Eastern European land of "Orsinia", which has been identified as being simultaneously Ruritanian and naturalistic. Hayao Miyazaki 's animated film The Castle of Cagliostro is set in the fictional country of Cagliostro, inspired by Riviera and Monaco. The Student Prince , an operetta by Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly , also adapted several times to film, has as its protagonist

630-542: A significant impact on the genre), Murder on the Orient Express (1934), Death on the Nile (1937) and And Then There Were None (1939). Other female writers dubbed "Queens of crime" include Dorothy L. Sayers ( gentleman detective , Lord Peter Wimsey ), Margery Allingham ( Albert Campion , supposedly created as a parody of Sayers' Wimsey, ) and New Zealander Ngaio Marsh ( Roderick Alleyn ). Georgette Heyer recreated

693-541: A small group of intellectuals responding to industrialization and labor migration. Author and royal historian Theo Aronson , in his book Crowns in Conflict (1986), used the term to describe the semi-romantic and even tribal-like conditions of the Balkan and Romanian cultures before World War I . Walter Lippmann used the word to describe the stereotype that characterized the vision of international relations during and after

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756-458: A typical example of the genre, concerns a revolution to restore rightful parliamentary government in the republican country of Laurania. The themes of honor, loyalty and love predominate, and the works frequently feature the restoration of legitimate government after a period of usurpation or dictatorship. Romantic stories about the royalty of a fictional kingdom were common, for instance Robert Louis Stevenson 's Prince Otto (1885). But it

819-465: Is Clarke's contemporary. Michael Moorcock (born 1939) is a writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels. He was involved with the 'New Wave' of science fiction writers "part of whose aim was to invest the genre with literary merit" Similarly J. G. Ballard (born 1930) "became known in the 1960s as the most prominent of the 'New Wave' science fiction writers". A later major figure in science fiction

882-420: Is a genre of speculative fiction dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology , space travel , time travel , faster than light travel , parallel universes and extraterrestrial life . Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations , and has been called a "literature of ideas". It usually eschews the supernatural , and unlike

945-424: Is a prose-fiction form of romance , which Walter Scott defined as "a fictitious narrative in prose or verse; the interest of which turns upon marvellous and uncommon incidents". According to Romance Writers of America 's data, the most popular subgenres are romantic suspense , contemporary romance , historical romance , erotic romance , paranormal romance , and young adult romance . Science fiction

1008-525: Is a genre of literature, film and theatre comprising novels, stories, plays and films set in a fictional country , usually in Central or Eastern Europe , such as the " Ruritania " that gave the genre its name. Such stories are typically swashbuckling adventure novels , tales of high romance and intrigue, centered on the ruling classes, almost always aristocracy and royalty, although (for instance) Winston Churchill 's novel Savrola , in every other way

1071-503: Is a great deal of overlap among the three, all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction . Fantasy works frequently feature a medieval setting. The romance novel or "romantic novel" primarily focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." There are many subgenres of the romance novel including fantasy , historical , science fiction , same sex romantic fiction, and paranormal fiction . There

1134-439: Is best known for his Discworld series of comic fantasy novels, that begins with The Colour of Magic (1983), and includes Mort (1987), Hogfather (1996), and Night Watch (2002). Pratchett's other most notable work is the 1990 novel Good Omens . Philip Pullman 's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials comprises Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). It follows

1197-606: Is often mixed with other genres. Horror novelist Stephen King was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2003, polarizing opinions and leading to debate on genre fiction's literary merit. Negative comments about genre fiction have sparked responses from Time , Salon , the Atlantic , and the Los Angeles Review of Books . Nobel laureate Doris Lessing described science fiction as "some of

1260-827: Is set in the 12th century and gives a depiction of the Third Crusade , featuring the Christian leader and King of England Richard the Lionheart . In crime fiction, the murder mysteries of Ruth Rendell and P. D. James are popular. Nigel Tranter wrote historical novels of celebrated Scottish warriors: Robert the Bruce in The Bruce Trilogy , and William Wallace in The Wallace (1975). John Wyndham wrote post-apocalyptic science fiction, his most notable works being The Day of

1323-543: Is sometimes thought to be in between genre and non-genre fiction. In the publishing industry the term "category fiction" is often used as a synonym for genre fiction, with the categories serving as the familiar shelf headings within the fiction section of a bookstore, such as Western or mystery. Some authors classified instead as literary fiction have written genre novels under pseudonyms, while others are argued to have employed genre elements in literary fiction. Romance fiction had an estimated $ 1.375 billion share in

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1386-482: Is the literary genre that fictionalises crimes , their detection, criminals, and their motives . It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction or science fiction , but the boundaries are indistinct. Crime fiction has multiple subgenres , including detective fiction (such as the whodunit ), courtroom drama , hard-boiled fiction, mystery fiction , and legal thrillers . Suspense and mystery are key elements to

1449-406: Is widely considered to be the first true example of a supervillain , while Sherlock Holmes has become a by-word for a detective. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories featuring Holmes, from 1880 up to 1907, with a final case in 1914. All but four Conan Doyle stories are narrated by Holmes' friend, assistant, and biographer, Dr John H. Watson . Erskine Childers ' The Riddle of

1512-618: The Mutiny on the Bounty immortalised the Royal Navy ship HMS  Bounty and her people. The legend of Dick Turpin was popularised when the 18th-century English highwayman 's exploits appeared in the novel Rookwood in 1834. Although pre-dated by John Ruskin 's The King of the Golden River in 1841, the history of the modern fantasy genre is generally said to begin with George MacDonald ,

1575-408: The coming-of-age of two children as they wander through a series of parallel universes against a backdrop of epic events. Neil Gaiman is a writer of science fiction, fantasy short stories and novels, whose notable works include Stardust (1998), Coraline (2002), The Graveyard Book (2009), and The Sandman series. Alan Moore 's works include Watchmen , V for Vendetta set in

1638-552: The epic in poetry and tragedy and comedy for plays. In later periods other genres such as the chivalric romance , opera , and prose fiction developed. Though the novel is often seen as a modern genre – Ian Watt , in The Rise of the Novel (1957) suggests that the novel first came into being in the early 18th century – it has also been described as possessing "a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years", from

1701-499: The historical romance genre since 1921, and also wrote detective fiction (1932–1953). A major work of science fiction, from the early 20th century, is A Voyage to Arcturus by Scottish writer David Lindsay , first published in 1920. It combines fantasy , philosophy, and science fiction in an exploration of the nature of good and evil and their relationship with existence. It has been described by critic and philosopher Colin Wilson as

1764-481: The historical romances of Scott, Emily Brontë 's Wuthering Heights and Herman Melville 's Moby-Dick , are also frequently called novels, and Scott describes romance as a "kindred term". Romance, as defined here, should not be confused with the genre fiction love romance or romance novel . Other European languages do not distinguish between romance and novel: "a novel is le roman , der Roman , il romanzo ." Genre fiction developed from various subgenres of

1827-545: The "greatest novel of the twentieth century", and was a central influence on C. S. Lewis 's Space Trilogy . Also J. R. R. Tolkien said he read the book "with avidity", and praised it as a work of philosophy, religion, and morality. It was made widely available in paperback form when published as one of the precursor volumes to the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in 1968. From the early 1930s to late 1940s, an informal literary discussion group associated with

1890-496: The 1938–39 Adventures of Tintin comic King Ottokar's Sceptre eschewed literal romance, but is an adventure about foiling a plot to depose the king of Syldavia . Literary critic John Sutherland says Eric Ambler brought the Ruritanian romance to "its highest pitch" with his 1939 novel The Mask of Dimitrios . An earlier venture into Ruritanian themes was Ambler's very first novel, The Dark Frontier (1936), set in

1953-636: The English faculty at the University of Oxford, were the " Inklings ". Its leading members were the major fantasy novelists; C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien . Lewis is known for The Screwtape Letters (1942), The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956) and The Space Trilogy (1938–1945), while Tolkien is best known as the author of The Hobbit (1937), The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955), and The Silmarillion (1977). In thriller writing, Ian Fleming created

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2016-481: The Man (1894) parodied many elements. Dorothy Sayers 's Have His Carcase (1932) featured as the murder victim a man deceived by his murderers because of his foolish belief in his royal ancestry, fed by endless reading of Ruritanian romances. The Marx Brothers film Duck Soup (1933) is set in a bankrupt Freedonia . Antal Szerb 's Oliver VII (1943) features a monarch of a fictional Central European state who plots

2079-546: The Needle (1978), followed by The Key to Rebecca (1980), as well as historical novels, notably The Pillars of the Earth (1989), and its sequel World Without End (2007). Elleston Trevor is remembered for his 1964 adventure story The Flight of the Phoenix , while the thriller novelist Philip Nicholson is best known for Man on Fire . Peter George 's Red Alert (1958), is

2142-570: The Sands (1903) defined the spy novel and Follett has also called it "the first modern thriller ". Emma Orczy 's The Scarlet Pimpernel (1903) was originally a highly successful play, when staged in London in 1905. The novel The Scarlet Pimpernel was published soon after the play opened and was an immediate success. Orczy gained a following of readers in Britain and throughout the world. The popularity of

2205-462: The Triffids (1951), and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). George Langelaan 's The Fly (1957), is a science fiction short story. Science fiction novelist Arthur C. Clarke 's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is based on his various short stories, particularly The Sentinel (1951). His other major novels include Rendezvous with Rama (1972), and The Fountains of Paradise (1979). Brian Aldiss

2268-451: The US book market in 2007. Religion/inspirational literature followed with $ 819 million, science fiction/fantasy with $ 700 million, mystery with $ 650 million and classic literary fiction with $ 466 million. Genre began as a classification system for ancient Greek literature . Poetry , prose , and drama had specific calculated styles that related to the theme of the story. Among the genres were

2331-544: The United States as a ploy for gaining American aid. In Vladimir Nabokov 's Pale Fire (1962), the main narrator has the delusion of being the incognito king of a "distant northern land" who romantically escaped a Soviet -backed revolution. In the comic film The Great Race (1965), rally driver Professor Fate (played by Jack Lemmon ) is the double of the Crown Prince of the tiny kingdom of Carpania. The popularity of

2394-516: The War. Vesna Goldsworthy of Kingston University , in her book Inventing Ruritania: the imperialism of the imagination (Yale University Press, 1998), addresses the question of the impact of the work of novelists and film-makers in shaping international perceptions of the Balkans in the framework of an anti-Western type of modernism which has received much criticism from other academics. Goldsworthy's theories consider stories and movies about Ruritania to be

2457-623: The best social fiction of our time", and called Greg Bear , author of Blood Music , "a great writer". In the 2000s, the BBC defended itself against charges that it discussed genre fiction with a "sneering derogatory tone". The Man Booker Prize and British Book Awards have been criticized for ignoring genre fiction in their selection process. Some critics have claimed that reading romance and suspense thrillers makes readers more sensitive, because these novels focus on interpersonal relationships. Sir John Barrow 's descriptive 1831 account of

2520-469: The character James Bond 007 in January 1952, while on holiday at his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye. Fleming chronicled Bond's adventures in twelve novels, including Casino Royale (1953), Live and Let Die (1954), Dr. No (1958), Goldfinger (1959), Thunderball (1961), The Spy Who Loved Me (1962), and nine short story works. In contrast to the larger-than-life spy capers of Bond, John le Carré

2583-445: The fictional Balkan country of Ixania . George MacDonald Fraser 's 1970 novel Royal Flash and the 1975 film Royal Flash based on it are set in the fictional Duchy of Strackenz, and its plot freely borrows many elements of Anthony Hope 's book; indeed, Fraser's protagonist Harry Flashman audaciously claims that Hope had plagiarised his own exploits. The genre was widely spoofed and mocked. George Bernard Shaw 's Arms and

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2646-534: The fictional Balkan country of Ruthenia. ( Ruthenia is a genuine geographic name, identifying an area of eastern Europe somewhat to the north of the Balkan Peninsula , in the Carpathian Mountains , but is not an independent country.) Marvel Comics created the character Victor Von Doom , absolute monarch of Latveria in the Balkans, who combines recognizable elements of a Ruritanian monarch with being

2709-530: The fictional Central European country of Razkavia. Popular fiction Genre fiction , also known as formula fiction or popular fiction , is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre. The main genres are crime , fantasy , romance , science fiction and horror —as well as perhaps Western , inspirational and historical fiction . Slipstream genre

2772-573: The finest sensation novels . H. G. Wells 's (1866–1946) writing career began in the 1890s with science fiction novels like The Time Machine (1895), and The War of the Worlds (1898) which describes an invasion of late Victorian England by Martians , and Wells is seen, along with Frenchman Jules Verne (1828–1905), as a major figure in the development of the science fiction genre. Penny dreadful publications were an alternative to mainstream works, and were aimed at working class adolescents, introducing

2835-450: The first, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) is the best known. Novels featuring a gentleman adventurer were popular in the interwar period , exemplified by the series of H. C. McNeile with Bulldog Drummond (1920) and Leslie Charteris , whose many books chronicled the adventures of Simon Templar , alias The Saint . The medievalist scholar M. R. James wrote highly regarded ghost stories (1904–1928) in contemporary settings. This

2898-486: The genre declined after the first part of the twentieth century. Aside from the change in literary taste, the royalist elements of Ruritanian romances became less plausible as many European monarchies receded even from memory, and their restorations grew less likely. Many elements of the genre have been transplanted into fantasy worlds , particularly those of fantasy of manners and alternate history . The science fiction writer Andre Norton first reached success with

2961-443: The genre. Fantasy is a genre of fiction that uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element, theme , or setting . Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there

3024-527: The heir apparent to the fictitious kingdom of Karlsberg who is sent away to the University of Heidelberg where he falls in love with a barmaid. The affair is doomed by his royal responsibilities when he is recalled to attend his dying grandfather, the king. Subsequent to his succession he is forced by duty to marry a well- dowered princess. The Tin Princess is a 1994 children's novel by Philip Pullman set in

3087-479: The infamous Sweeney Todd . The premier ghost story writer of the 19th century was the Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu . His works include the macabre mystery novel Uncle Silas 1865, and his Gothic novella Carmilla 1872, which tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire. The vampire genre fiction began with John William Polidori 's " The Vampyre " (1819). This short story

3150-503: The influential author of The Princess and the Goblin and Phantastes (1858). William Morris was a popular English poet who also wrote several fantasy novels during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Wilkie Collins ' epistolary novel The Moonstone (1868) is generally considered the first detective novel in the English language, while The Woman in White is regarded as one of

3213-498: The novel (and its "romance" version) during the nineteenth century, along with the growth of the mass-marketing of fiction in the twentieth century: this includes the gothic novel , fantasy , science fiction , adventure novel , historical romance , and the detective novel . Some scholars see precursors to the genre fiction romance novels in literary fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries, including Samuel Richardson 's sentimental novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740) and

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3276-511: The novel, which recounted the adventures of a member of the English gentry in the French Revolutionary period, encouraged her to write a number of sequels for her "reckless daredevil" over the next 35 years. The play was performed to great acclaim in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, while the novel was translated into 16 languages. Subsequently, the story has been adapted for television, film,

3339-426: The novels of Jane Austen such as Pride and Prejudice (1813). Critics have often regarded genre fiction as having less artistic merit than literary fiction, but this assumption has been contested after the growth of fiction that blurs these boundaries and the serious study of genre fiction within universities. The following are some of the main genres as they are used in contemporary publishing: Crime fiction

3402-560: The period between Anthony Hope's novels (late 1880s) and modern day. The linked novels cover a wide range of genres but cover topics including the restoration of the Ruthenian monarchy, aristocratic intrigue, commoners, love, christianity, history of the fictional country, the Ruthenian language, and gay eroticism. Avram Davidson 's Doctor Eszterhazy stories are set in a fictitious ramshackle Balkan empire resembling Austria-Hungary, but with Ruritanian characteristics. Ursula K. Le Guin set

3465-606: The related genre of fantasy , historically science fiction stories were intended to have at least pretense of science-based fact or theory at the time the story was created, but this connection has become tenuous or non-existent in much of science fiction. Horror fiction aims to frighten or disgust its readers. Although many horror novels feature supernatural phenomena or monsters, it is not required. Early horror took much inspiration from Romanticism and Gothic fiction . Modern horror, such as cosmic horror and splatterpunk , tends to be less melodramatic and more explicit. Horror

3528-466: The stereotypical development of nationalism in 19th-century Eastern Europe , by Ernest Gellner in Nations and Nationalism , in a pastiche of the historical narratives of nationalist movements among Poles, Czechs, Serbians, Romanians, etc. In this story, peasant Ruritanians living in the "Empire of Megalomania " developed national consciousness through the elaboration of a Ruritanian high culture by

3591-405: The time of both Classical Greece and Rome . The "romance" is a closely related long prose narrative. Walter Scott defined it as "a fictitious narrative in prose or verse; the interest of which turns upon marvellous and uncommon incidents", whereas in the novel "the events are accommodated to the ordinary train of human events and the modern state of society". However, many romances, including

3654-562: Was Iain M. Banks who created a fictional anarchist, socialist, and utopian society named " The Culture ". The novels that feature in it include Excession (1996), and Inversions (1998). He also published mainstream novels, including the highly controversial The Wasp Factory in 1984. Nobel prize winner Doris Lessing also published a sequence of five science fiction novels the Canopus in Argos : Archives between 1979 and 1983. Terry Pratchett

3717-564: Was an author of spy novels who depicted a shadowy world of espionage and counter-espionage, and his best known novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), is often regarded as one of the greatest in the genre. Frederick Forsyth writes thriller novels, including The Day of the Jackal (1971), The Odessa File (1972), The Dogs of War (1974) and The Fourth Protocol (1984). Ken Follett writes spy thrillers, his first success being Eye of

3780-597: Was called the Golden Age of Detective Fiction . Agatha Christie , a writer of crime novels, short stories and plays, is best remembered for her 80 detective novels and her successful West End theatre plays. Christie's works, particularly those featuring the detectives Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple , made her one of the most important and innovative writers in the development of the genre. Her most influential novels include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926); one of her most controversial novels, its innovative twist ending had

3843-505: Was inspired by the life of Lord Byron and his poem The Giaour . An important later work is Varney the Vampire (1845), where many standard vampire conventions originated: Varney has fangs, leaves two puncture wounds on the neck of his victims, and has hypnotic powers and superhuman strength. Varney was also the first example of the "sympathetic vampire", who loathes his condition but is a slave to it. Bram Stoker , yet another Irish writer,

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3906-619: Was the author of the seminal horror work Dracula and featured as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula , with the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing his arch-enemy. Dracula has been attributed to a number of literary genres including vampire literature , horror fiction , gothic novel and invasion literature . Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant London-based "consulting detective", famous for his intellectual prowess, skilful use of astute observation, deductive reasoning and forensic skills to solve difficult cases. Holmes' archenemy Professor Moriarty ,

3969-451: Was the great popularity of Anthony Hope 's The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) which set the type, with its handsome political decoy restoring the rightful king to the throne, and resulted in a burst of similar popular fiction , such as George Barr McCutcheon 's Graustark novels (1901–27) and Frances Hodgson Burnett 's The Lost Prince (1915), Edgar Rice Burrough 's The Mad King (1914), and other homages . In children's literature,

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