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Inpopular culture,formula fiction isliterature in which the storylines andplots have been reused to the extent that thenarratives are predictable. It is similar togenre fiction, which identifies a number of specific settings that are frequently reused. The label offormula fiction is used inliterary criticism as a mildpejorative to imply lack of originality.[1]
Theformula is defined specifically by predictablenarrative structure. Formulaic tales incorporate plots that have been reused so often as to be easily recognizable. Perhaps the most clearly formulaic plots characterize theromantic comedy genre; in a book or film labeled as such, viewers already know its most basic central plot, including to some extent the ending. This does not always prove to be detrimental to a given work's reception however, as the popularity of the aforementioned genre demonstrates.
Formula fiction is often stereotypically associated with earlypulp magazine markets, though some works published in that medium, such as "The Cold Equations", subvert the supposed expectations of the common narrative formula of that time.
Theformula is limited to structure of the plot itself. It does not include conventional, stereotypical elements of the genre used for the story background.Genres likehigh fantasy,westerns, andspace opera (anadventure story in ascience fiction setting) often have specific settings, such as a pseudo-Medieval European setting, theOld West, orouter space.
For any given genre, certain assumed background information covers the nature and purpose of predictable elements of the story, such as the appearance ofdragons andwizards inhigh fantasy,warp drives andrayguns inscience fiction, orshootouts at high noon inWesterns. These are taken as conventional in the genre and do not need to be explained anew to the reader, they may be included implicitly as part of the genre's formula, but they do not constitute the plot structure that makes a story formulaic.
Note however that stereotypical elements can also easily be treated subversively, to contradict some of the expectations inherent in the genre's formula.
Formula fiction should not be confused withpastiche: Fiction mimicking another work or author's style.Comedy as a whole – includingparody,satire, andsubgenres such asromantic comedy – often relies on either formulaic elements, or mocking contradiction of such elements.
Though pastiche may naturally include formulaic elements, the same holds true ofparody andsatire. All may well include formulaic elements such as commonstereotypes orcaricatures, or which may use formulaic elements in order to mock them or point out their supposedlycliché orunrealistic natures.
