- Industry: Internet
- Number of terms: 16478
- Number of blossaries: 4
- Company Profile:
Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.
Women's fiction is an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels. It is distinct from Women's writing, which refers to literature written by (rather than promoted to) women. There exists no comparable label in English for works of fiction that are marketed to males.
The Romance Writers of America organization defines women's fiction as, "a commercial novel about a woman on the brink of life change and personal growth. Her journey details emotional reflection and action that transforms her and her relationships with others, and includes a hopeful/upbeat ending with regard to her romantic relationship."
Industry:Literature
Wuxia (wu-hsia), which literally means "martial hero", is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms such as Chinese opera, manhua, films, television series and video games. It is a component of popular culture in many Chinese-speaking communities around the world.
The word "wuxia" is a compound word composed of the words wu (lit. "martial", "military", or "armed") and xia (lit. "honourable", "chivalrous", or "hero"). A martial artist who follows the code of xia is often referred to as a xiake (lit. "follower of xia") or youxia (lit. "wandering xia"). In some translated works of wuxia, the martial artist is sometimes termed as a "swordsman" or "swordswoman" even though he or she may not necessarily wield a sword.
Typically, the heroes in wuxia fiction do not serve a lord, wield military power or belong to the aristocratic class. They are often from the lower social classes of ancient Chinese society. Wuxia heroes are usually bound by a code of chivalry that requires them to right wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove an oppressor, redress wrongs and bring retribution for past misdeeds. The Chinese xia traditions can be compared to martial codes from other countries, such as the Japanese samurai's bushido tradition, the chivalry of medieval European knights and the gunslingers of America's Westerns.
Industry:Literature
Yaoi, also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male sexual relationships, usually created by female authors. As yaoi works depict sexual relationships between males, the genre attracts an androphilic male audience as well; however, manga aimed at a gay male audience (bara) is considered a separate genre. The genre also attracts lesbian, bisexual and questioning female readers, and several prominent yaoi authors are lesbian.
The main characters in yaoi usually conform to the formula of the seme (top, or dominant figure) who pursues the uke (bottom, or passive figure). Material classified as yaoi typically depicts erotic gay relationships between attractive male characters. Although the yaoi genre is also called Boys' Love (commonly abbreviated as BL), the males featured are pubescent or older. Works featuring prepubescent boys are labelled shotacon, and seen as a distinct genre.
Yaoi began in the dōjinshi (fan fiction) markets of Japan in the late 1970s as an outgrowth of shōnen-ai, also known as Juné or tanbi, a sub-genre depicting platonic relationships between pubescent or pre-pubescent boys. Yaoi initially emerged as a sexualized parody of popular shōnen-ai anime and manga stories. Over time, yaoi came to be used as a generic term for female-oriented manga, anime, dating sims, novels and fan fiction works featuring idealized homosexual male relationships. The genre has spread beyond Japan, and both translated and original yaoi works are now available in many countries and languages.
Industry:Literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature (often abbreviated as YA), also juvenile fiction, is fiction written, published, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, although recent studies show that 55% of young-adult fiction is purchased by readers over 18 years of age. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) defines a young adult as someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Authors and readers of young adult (YA) novels often define the genre as literature as traditionally written for ages ranging from sixteen years up to the age of twenty-five, while Teen Fiction is written for the ages of ten and to fifteen. The terms young-adult novel, juvenile novel, young-adult book, etc. refer to the works in the YA category.
YA literature shares the following fundamental elements of the fiction genre: character, plot, setting, theme, and style. However, theme and style are often subordinated to the more tangible elements of plot, setting, and character, which appeal more readily to younger readers. The vast majority of YA stories portray an adolescent, rather than an adult or child, as the protagonist.
The subject matter and story lines of YA literature are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character, but, beyond that, YA stories span the spectrum of fiction genres. Themes in YA stories often focus on the challenges of youth, sometimes referred to as problem novels or coming-of-age novels. Writing styles of YA stories range widely, from the richness of literary style to the clarity and speed of the unobtrusive and free verse.
Industry:Literature
Yuri, also known by the wasei-eigo construction girls' love, is a Japanese jargon term for content and a genre involving love between women in manga, anime, and related Japanese media. Yuri focuses on the sexual or the emotional aspects of the relationship, or both, the latter of which sometimes being called shōjo-ai by Western fans.
The themes yuri deals with have their roots in the Japanese lesbian literature of early twentieth century, with pieces such as Yaneura no Nishojo by Nobuko Yoshiya. Nevertheless, it is not until the 1970s that lesbian-themed works began to appear in manga, by the hand of artists such as Ryoko Yamagishi and Riyoko Ikeda. The 1990s brought new trends in manga and anime, as well as in dōjinshi productions, along with more acceptance for this kind of content. In 2003, the first manga magazine specifically dedicated to yuri, Yuri Shimai, was launched, and this was followed by its revival Comic Yuri Hime, which was launched after the former was discontinued in 2004.
Although yuri originated in female-targeted works, today it is featured in male-targeted ones as well. Yuri manga from male-targeted magazines include titles such as Kannazuki no Miko and Strawberry Panic!, as well as those from Comic Yuri Hime's male-targeted sister magazine, Comic Yuri Hime S, which was launched in 2007.
Industry:Literature
