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Understanding Genre

This document discusses genre in literature and media. It defines genre as a category or type that texts are grouped into based on their content, form, or style. Genre can be understood through either the subject matter or form of the text. Understanding genre helps audiences develop expectations and allows authors to appeal to specific target audiences. Each genre has its own set of conventions and characteristics that are common across texts within that genre. The document provides examples of common genres of subject matter like action or romance, and genres of form like novels or poems. It also discusses sub-genres and hybrid genres that blend elements of multiple genres.

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Gloria Tavarez
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190 views1 page

Understanding Genre

This document discusses genre in literature and media. It defines genre as a category or type that texts are grouped into based on their content, form, or style. Genre can be understood through either the subject matter or form of the text. Understanding genre helps audiences develop expectations and allows authors to appeal to specific target audiences. Each genre has its own set of conventions and characteristics that are common across texts within that genre. The document provides examples of common genres of subject matter like action or romance, and genres of form like novels or poems. It also discusses sub-genres and hybrid genres that blend elements of multiple genres.

Uploaded by

Gloria Tavarez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Understanding

GENRE
Defining GENRE Genre of SUBJECT MATTER

The word genre came from the french word This is a more common way of thinking about
that means 'category' or 'type'. It refers to genre and it focuses more on the content,
the ways that texts, such as literature, art or audience and intended effects of a text.
media, are categorised based on their Some common genres of subject matter
content, form or style. include action, adventure, bildungsroman,
crime, drama, fantasy, horror, romance,
Understanding genre can help us science fiction or western.
understand the texts themselves. Different
genres involve particular sets of
characteristics that are common or shared
features meaning that audiences will
Characteristics and CONVENTIONS
develop certain expectations based on
genre. For each of these genres of form or subject
matter there's a list of associated
It can be useful to group texts into conventions we can expect to see. It's
categories for the following reasons: important to learn the conventions of each
Authors can appeal to specific form.
audiences
Audiences want to seek out the types of For example a feature article will have a
texts they enjoy catchy title, synopsis, author byline,
It gives us a way of organising and subheadings, columns, tear out sections and
making sense of texts images. The western genre generally features
It distinguishes the way in which the text cowboys, outlaws, gun fights, the American
is to be delivered e.g. read, performed, West, saloons, cacti, spurs and themes of the
delivered orally. frontier.

Genre of FORM Sub-genres and HYBRID GENRES

A sub-genre is a specific category within a


One way of thinking about genre is through
genre. The main genres can be broken
consideration of the form and structure of
down further into different categories. For
the text. Some common genres of form we
example poetry might include haiku, ballad
might study in English class include
or sonnet. A hybrid genre blends the
advertisement, biography, documentary,
features of two or more genres of subject
essay, feature article, movie, novel, poem
matter. For example romantic comedy,
and short story.
crima drama or adventure sci-fi.

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