Picnic at Hanging Rock
by Joan Lindsay

Picnic at Hanging Rock: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

Picnic at Hanging Rock can be described as a work of historical fiction, gothic fiction, mystery, and science fiction. The genre depends, in part, on how one reads the mystery at the heart of the novel. If one interprets the disappearances as the result of supernatural forces, it's possible to read the novel as a work of science fiction. However, given that Lindsay only hints at the possibility that a supernatural element is at play, one can argue that the novel to a greater degree is a work of mystery or gothic fiction.