Romance and Mystery— Are they genres?

You might have noticed that I left these two out of the list in the chapter with the list of genres I did this intentionally.

I don't think they should be considered genres, but rather plots.

Think about it. Both of these genres have to coincide with other genres. Think about some of your favorite romance or mystery stories.

Every other genre basically already has the general setting laid out: Realistic fiction occurs in the real world, fantasy takes place in a world where magic is possible, etc. You have expectations about where these genres take place and what kinds of worlds they include.

But what about romance or mysteries?

Romance and mystery don't have their own sets of expectations for settings. That's why you've got romance novels that are actually historical fictions (When Calls the Heart by Janette Oake) and Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling).

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here, but here's why I think they're just plots:

Romance:

Two characters meet.

Something is preventing the two characters from getting together.

The characters realize they love each other and must find a way to fight whatever's keeping them apart in order for them to get together.

The characters face these obstacles.

Finally, the characters end up getting together. *Smooch*

Like plot, it includes characters, their problems and obstacles, and their goals.

Mystery:

Something happens. Nobody seems to know whodunnit.

Someone (or a group of characters) decide they need to figure out whodunnit.

They face problems and obstacles while trying to solve the case.

They solve the case.

Same as with romance, it includes characters, their problems and obstacles, and their goal.

Both of these rely heavily on the actual genre, like all plots.

Like, Pride and Prejudice is going to have a totally different feel than Twilight* because of their genres. Pride and Prejudice is Realistic Fiction (in terms of when it was written), while Twilight is an urban fantasy.

Harry Potter is going to be a lot different than the Babysitters Club Mysteries because of their genres as well, even though they're both mysteries.

Conclusion: Plot =/= Genre

*Twilight is one of the worst-written pieces of fiction to have ever surfaced and it was completely wrong of me to compare it to Pride and Prejudice, an absolute masterpiece, but I unfortunately lacked better examples for the sake of comparison. My apologies.