Independent Reading Portfolio: Genres

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 5

There are 32 ways to write a story, and I have used every one, but there is only one plot - things are not what they seem. Jim Thompson.

In this Independent Reading Portfolio module you will engage closely with three different types of (very) popular genre fiction: crime, historical and science fiction. You will read and also write within each of these genres, discovering their main codes and conventions. You will also work towards a broader understanding of what genre fiction is, and where similarities and differences might be found between these three genres.

By the end of the module, you will have gained:

• a reflective, critical approach to the genres of crime/thriller, historical fiction and science fiction
• an understanding of classic and contemporary genre writers
• the ability to reflect on the processes of other writers
• knowledge and understanding of contemporary genre fiction
• an understanding of the context of your own writing
• the ability to think critically and independently about works outside the conventional literary canon.