--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm now much more excited about genre…" description: "\"I'm now much more excited about genre distinctions. What I still see breaking down are more the hierarchical arrangements of genres. That is, \"There is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/lev-grossman-747_absurd_i-m-now-much-more-excited-about-genre-di_180351.png" --- # I'm now much more excited about genre distinctions. What I… ![“I'm now much more excited about genre distinctions. What I still see breaking down are more the hierarchical arrangements of genres. That is, "There is literary fiction, and then there are lesser genres." I'm much more clear on the idea that literary fiction is itself a genre. It is not above…” quote by Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/lev-grossman-747_absurd_i-m-now-much-more-excited-about-genre-di_180351.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/lev-grossman-747_absurd_i-m-now-much-more-excited-about-genre-di_180351.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/lev-grossman-747_absurd_i-m-now-much-more-excited-about-genre-di_180351.png) > “I'm now much more excited about genre distinctions. What I still see breaking down are more the hierarchical arrangements of genres. That is, "There is literary fiction, and then there are lesser genres." I'm much more clear on the idea that literary fiction is itself a genre. It is not above other genres. It is down there in the muck with all the other genres, and it's doing the wonderful things that it does, but to give it a Y-axis, to make it high and low, just seems absurd. I stand by that.” [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that literary fiction is just another genre, not a superior category, rejecting hierarchical genre rankings. **In simple terms:** Literary fiction is a genre like any other, not above the rest. Key Takeaway Treat all genres equally. Themes literature genre theory equality Mood reflective analytical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - book clubs - publishing decisions - academic curricula Key Concepts hierarchy genre classification critical theory Questions to Reflect On - How does removing hierarchy change reading habits? - What benefits arise from genre equality? A Different Perspective Some may argue genre distinctions affect market perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Breaking down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-down/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Literary fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-fiction/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Wonderful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-things/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I am all about switching between genres and doing as much as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-koechner/i-am-all-about-switching-between-genres-and-doing-as-much-as-possible/) [David Koechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-koechner/) > [I think that genre distinctions basically boil down to marketing categories, which are outdated. Any time people have an argument about them, they're arguing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/i-think-that-genre-distinctions-basically-boil-down-to-marketing/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [I've never been particularly interested in genre distinctions. They seem to me more useful to a librarian than to a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/i-ve-never-been-particularly-interested-in-genre-distinctions-they/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [A lot of young-adult authors, great ones, have tried their hands at literary fiction, and not a lot of them have succeeded. Not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/a-lot-of-young-adult-authors-great-ones-have-tried-their-hands-at/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [Everybody always talks about the science fiction genre, in particular, which always makes me think about people in spaceships. I can appreciate that, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/everybody-always-talks-about-the-science-fiction-genre-in-particular/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering James Joyce and Wallace Stevens, Blake and Yeats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-commerical-strange-fiction/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [It cannot be said often enough that science fiction as a genre is incredibly educational - and I'm speaking the written science fiction, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-cannot-be-said-often-enough-that-science-fiction-as-a-genre-is/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [In ages past, there was less of a dichotomy between good literature and fun reads. In the twentieth century, I think, it split apart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/in-ages-past-there-was-less-of-a-dichotomy-between-good-literature/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [I love the science-fiction genre because there's always so many endless possibilities! It's a limitless genre and can be fun playing around with otherworldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mennell/i-love-the-science-fiction-genre-because-there-s-always-so-many/) [Laura Mennell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mennell/) > [Science fiction is a genre that no everyone is keen on watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/science-fiction-is-a-genre-that-no-everyone-is-keen-on-watching/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [“Singling out “women’s fiction” for genre derision never fails to piss me off. Somehow worse when women do it. Case in pt: Editor says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/singling-out-women-s-fiction-for-genre-derision-never-fails-to-piss/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [“Science fiction, as a genre is fundamentally about ideas. It's about asking an impossible question, "What if...?" and building a story out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-robinson/science-fiction-as-a-genre-is-fundamentally-about-ideas-it-s-about/) Dave Robinson > [To me, fantasy has always been the genre of escape, science fiction the genre of ideas. So if you can escape and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/to-me-fantasy-has-always-been-the-genre-of-escape-science-fiction-the/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Science fiction is the only genre that enables African writers to envision a future from our African perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/science-fiction-is-the-only-genre-that-enables-african-writers-to/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [“Cat Rambo: Where do you think the perennial debate between what is literary fiction and what is genre is sited? Norman Spinrad: I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/cat-rambo-where-do-you-think-the-perennial-debate-between-what-is/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) ## More by Lev Grossman > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“He was going to sign the papers and he was going to be a motherfucking magician.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/he-was-going-to-sign-the-papers-and-he-was-going-to-be-a/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Being brave was easy when you would rather die than give up. Fatigue meant nothing when you actually wanted to suffer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/being-brave-was-easy-when-you-would-rather-die-than-give-up-fatigue/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [As a writer I'm more drawn to villains who are just slightly mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/as-a-writer-i-m-more-drawn-to-villains-who-are-just-slightly-mad/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“He wasn't in a safe little story where wrongs were automatically righted; he was still in the real world, where bad bitter things happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/he-wasn-t-in-a-safe-little-story-where-wrongs-were-automatically/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I love rare books. Not that I own a lot of them, mind you. You couldn't quite call me a rare-book collector. 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A monkey making life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-s-true-eliot-said-statistically-historically-and-however-else-you/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“God, I hope we don’t have to use that,” was all he said out loud. “Oh, come on, Quentina. We’re not looking for trouble.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/god-i-hope-we-don-t-have-to-use-that-was-all-he-said-out-loud-oh-come/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I mean, when you're tired of book reviews, you're tired of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-mean-when-you-re-tired-of-book-reviews-you-re-tired-of-life/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [My specialty as a collector is books that almost have value. When I love a book, I don't buy the first edition, because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/my-specialty-as-a-collector-is-books-that-almost-have-value-when-i/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I used to write in a local coffee shop, but there was another guy, another writer, who kept sitting in my favorite seat. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-used-to-write-in-a-local-coffee-shop-but-there-was-another-guy/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I don't know if I've ever derived such an immediate sense of calm and well-being from any book as I did from 'Right Ho,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-ever-derived-such-an-immediate-sense-of-calm-and/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) [Explore all 379 Lev Grossman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. 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For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. 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