What is a literary genre? What are tropes? What genre does a creaky door suggest to you? Or a man and a woman stuck in an elevator? When should you use tropes? When should you avoid them? In this concise little book, educator Amy Jones outlines the literary genres which dominate the literary world, illuminating them with classic examples and a fine garnish of tropes. If you ever want to escape the ruts and cliches of life then this is the book for you.