Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Convention
Definition:
Think a convention is all about pasty dudes and dudettes in Spock ears getting their light sabers and comic books signed? Not quite.
In literature, conventions are the defining characteristics, or must-haves, of a given genre. Any aspiring gumshoe worth their weight in magnifying glasses will tell you that detectives, suspects, and a hearty dose of foreshadowing are all conventions of the mystery genre, for example. A "meet cute," Judy Greer, and a third-act misunderstanding? All tricks of the of the romantic comedy trade.
Every genre has its conventions, but that doesn't mean that writers always play by the rules. Plenty of texts bend and break conventions. For example, Tana French's mystery novel In the Woods ignores one of the biggest conventions of the genre by—spoiler alert—never solving one of its mysteries.
Harsh.