Series fiction

Series fictionrefers to a group of independently published works offictionthat are related to one another, usually through similar elements of setting andcharacters.A common example of series fiction is abook series.Series fiction spans a wide range ofgenres,and is particularly common inadventure,mystery,romance,fantasy,andscience fiction.While commonly associated withchildren's and young adult literature,series fiction has also been a significant feature ofmainstreamandgenre fictionfor adults. Early examples includeJames Fenimore Cooper'sLeatherstocking Tales(1823) andHonoré de Balzac'sLa Comédie humaine(1829).

Typically authored by a single writer, some series are collaborative efforts driven by publishers, as seen inThe Hardy BoysorSweet Valley High.Series fiction can be classified into progressive series, where characters grow and narratives are chronological, or successive series, which consist of self-contained stories that can be read in any order. The popularity of series fiction has grown with the commercialization of publishing, the rise of fan communities, and the expansion into multimedia franchises. Series fiction has been criticized for its formulaic plots and perceived lack of literary value, particularly in series aimed at younger and female audiences.

History

Stories that share certain elements, like characters, have a long tradition. For example,William Shakespearereused the character ofJohn Falstaffin several of his plays.Victor Watsonattributes the origin of series fiction to the United States. One of the earliest series fiction, and according to Watson the first American one, was theLeatherstocking TalesseriesbyJames Fenimore Cooper,which began in 1823 withThe Pioneers.Some of these first appeared in the form ofdime novels,and many were aimed at less demanding readers, including youths.Outside the United States, Watson namesMargaret Sidney'sFive Little Peppersseries (debuting in 1881 withFive Little Peppers and How They Grew) the first in Australia. andE. Nesbit'sBastableseries(debuting in 1899 withThe Story of the Treasure Seekers) the first in Britain.

In spite of E. Nesbit's work, Peggy Lin Duthie identified earlier examples of series fiction in Britain, such as SirWalter Scott'sWaverly Novels(debuting in 1814 withWaverley),Anthony Trollope'sChronicles of Barsetshire(debuting in 1855 withThe Warden), andMargaret Oliphant'sThe Chronicles of Carlingford(debuting in 1861 with "The Executor," a short story, and a novel,The Rector)Duthie also pointed out the French mainstream series ofHonoré de Balzac,La Comédie humaine,that debuted in 1829.In India,Satyajit Ray'sFeludadetective series begun in 1961.Referring to non-English language examples, Watson mentioned series begun by GermanErich KästnerwithEmil and the Detectives(1929) and FrenchPaul BernawithA Hundred Million Francs(1955).

In theinterwarperiod, series fiction expanded from literature (novels) to other mediums, notablycomicsandfilms.During that time,Edward Stratemeyer'sTom Swiftseries was extremely popular among young readers in the United States.The postwar period saw the emergence of a female protagonist in series fiction.The use of female protagonists during this period is often criticized for being one-dimensional, with a focus solely on beauty.The popularity of series fiction increased during theinternet era,from the late 1990s onward.

Characteristics

Victor Watsondefined series fiction broadly as "a sequence of related stories about the same groups of characters, usually by the same author",as well as "a series of narratives, published separately, often over a considerable period of time, mostly about the same characters, and usually written by one author". He notes that its key characteristics that distinguish it from other types of fiction is its "extended overall length and its composition in separate narratives".Watson although noted that there are notable exceptions to his definition. While the unifying feature for most series are characters, for some, that can be a concept, a place or an institution. For example, theGreyfriars Schoolseries byCharles Hamilton,theChalet Schoolseries byElinor Brent-Dyeror theGreen Knoweseries byLucy Bostonfeature changing characters, and are connected through a particular place; whileLucy Fitch Perkins'sTwinsseries had a theme of featuring twins, with characters, countries and historical periods varying between the installments.Likewise, while many series are primarily written by a single author, there are some notable series written by various writers (such as the Twins series,The Hardy Boysseries, theBobbsey Twinsseries, theSweet Valley Highor theAnimal Arkseries). Watson classifies them as "publisher's format series".

While series are common ingenre fiction,they have also been found inmainstream fiction(as early as withHonoré de Balzac'sLa Comédie humainefrom 1829).Series fiction is often incorrectly pigeonholed into one primarygenre,but in fact many series can have elements of different genres; those genres can also change over time as authors mature or experiment with different styles.A long running series that was set in times contemporary to the readers can be seen as historical if the time in the series progresses very slowly, and it becomes long-running (ex.Alison Uttley’sLittle Grey Rabbitseries begun in the 1920s and continued into the 1970s, with later books receiving explanatory notes about history).

Series are common inchildren's and youth literature.Common types of children's and youth series includeadventure story,ballet story,camping and tramping story,family saga,pony story,horse storyand somewhat later, in the 20th century and growing in popularity,fantasyandscience fictionstory, such as theHarry Potterseries.The latter genres are also common in series fiction for more mature audiences, which also often feature adventure (includingwestern), horror,mystery,detective fictionandromance(notably, theHarlequin novels).

Brian M. Stablefordnoted that series fiction is a result ofcommercializationand mass production of fiction, and its formularization to meet readers expectations; he writes that "powerful market forces pressure publishers and writers to follow up successful works with sequels". He also observes that series are often likely to suffer from the problem of "melodramatic inflation"; i.e. "the necessity of increasing the magnitude of threats that the hero is required to overcome". One of the solutions to the later is the creation ofsidestories(spinoffs) orprequels.Other reasons for continuing the series have been described as the author's desire to "fill in narrative gaps" or to write "major ideological reappraisals".On the other hand, some writers have noted that continuing the series can be challenging for various reasons such as becoming burned out in the context of a particular setting or character.

Waiting for the next installment in a series is a part of the appeal of the series, used to boost their popularity through improving and managing recipients anticipations, with purposeful marketing, journalistic and fan speculation, and related methods.Consuming more than the first part of the series implies commitment; as noted by Watson: "There is often a chanciness in choosing to read a single novel [but] you cannot read a series of twelve novels by chance".Fan communitiesare more likely to form around longer series, to which some readers are drawn to due to the existence of such larger communities.Such communities, particularly in the Internet era, can also lead to increased interaction between readers and writers, influencing the course of the series in line with fan's wishes as expressed online.

Shortest series can be as short as a singletrilogy.Larger series can number as many as several hundred installments, particularly in cases oflarger franchisesandshared universes,such as, for example,Star TrekandStar Warsscience fiction series, or theLongarmwesterns.

Other terms related to series fiction, sometimes used assynonyms,include, among others, multi-part novels, sequences, and sagas.Also related are the concepts of shared universes,fan fictionandcanon,particularly common inspeculative fictionseries (science fiction, fantasy and horror).

Reception

Reception of the series can wane over time, particularly in terms of critical reception; it is common for the first installment or installments to receive much critical reception, while the later ones, despite being still popular with the readers, and technically not inferior to the first parts, are often at best summarized or just listed in catalogues.Critical reception of the series can be impacted by the stereotype that longer series are mass produced works of inferior quality;this is in particular common, and sometimes justified, for authors that produce numerous installments a year, and where editing is of low-quality.Series directed at young audiences, as well as series belonging to the romance-genre, usually tend to have the weakest reputation, due to the volume of production and expected formulaic plots.Series targeted at teenage girls have also been a target of criticism, due to their common focus on activities such as "frenzied shopping, gossiping, partying, and sexual encounters", and portrayal of beauty and wealth as most important and desirable qualities.Series based on television and film franchises (tie-ins) also have a poor reputation among critics.

Nonetheless, even series that suffer from lack of critical acclaim and formulaic repetition can be long running, commercially successful and have a dedicated fanbase.

Expected familiarity with the setting, character and author style has in fact been identified as part of the appeal of series fiction.

Types of series

A series is sometimes differentiated from a work that is divided into smaller installments due to its size, but which forms part of a single story that begins in the first volume and concludes in the subsequent ones. Such works are often referred to astrilogy,tetralogy,etc. depending on the number of installments, and while literary scholars classify them as series fiction, they are not referred to as such by publishers. They can be compared to the concepts of "books published in installments",similar to how some shorter works (usually later published as individual books) are published in a serialized format in magazines.A well known example of such a work isJ.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Rings(split into three volumesThe Fellowship of the Ring,The Two Towers,andThe Return of the King).A proper series, on the other hand, features more strictly defined tales in each of its installments, and such installments can be more easily read without familiarity with previously published parts of the series.

Victor Watsondistinguishes progressive and successive types of series, with the former being characterized bycharacter growth,with books intended to be read in order, usually chronological. The latter, on the other hand, show much less character growth and can usually be read in any order without significant impact on the reader's understanding of the story.Some series can change from progressive to successive, or vice versa.

Series fiction spans all types of media. Major types of series fiction include, among others:

• Book series
• Comic book series
• Film series
• Radio series
• Television series
• Video game series
• Web series

However, the above typology does not distinguish between series fiction andnon-fiction.Non-fiction series also exist in various media.

Series can be divided by size as well:

• trilogyis series composed of three parts
• tetralogy(four parts)
• pentalogy(five parts)
• hexalogy(six parts)
• heptalogy (seven parts)

See also

• Expanded universe
• Literary cycle
• Mythos

Further reading

• Grossman, Anita Susan (1990)."Series Fiction Then and Now".Children's Literature.18(1):173–183.doi:10.1353/chl.0.0431.ISSN1543-3374.