ENGL131

Genre and mode

Genre - definition
A kind or category of text (e.g., a kind of novel
or film).

Within, e.g., the novel:

- Detective novel
- Romance
- Thriller
- Gothic (horror)

Todays lecture
First of two to focus on issues of
form meaning?

Form
The term encompasses
- the broad level of textual structure
(genre/mode)

- the micro level of textual technique (e.g.,

metaphor, metonym, synecdoche)

Form is usually distinguished from content,

which means ?

Genre/mode
Both are systems of classification.
A useful rule of thumb
Modes are like nouns, genres are like adjectives

So within the mode of the novel, there are

genres such as the romance, the detective
novel, the spy novel, etc., etc.

Any others?

Within the short story?

Within poetry ?

 Sonnet
Ode
Epic
etc.

 Tale of terror (Poe)

Bush tale

The analytic usefulness of

genre
Genre is a useful term for literary and film
analysis as it enables us to classify texts.

However, classification by genre is to some

extent inexact.

How a particular genre is defined may change

according to the context.

The definition of genres can also change

through time.

The generic classification of texts can be tricky.

Arguably all instances of written, spoken and visual media

can be classified by or defined in terms of genre

What genre?

Genre entails a set of

conventions or rules
Genre entails a set of
conventions or rules which
determine the content of
individual examples of a genre.

These conventions are both

constraining and enabling for
individual instances of the genre.

Genre as a template
There are no pure examples of genres.
Genre can be thought of a ghostly template,
according to which individual examples of a
genre are constructed, but to which examples
will never completely adhere.

Example of genre: Scream

Parodies the
conventions of the
slasher film genre,
while at the same
time working
effectively as an
example of this
genre.

Postmodern or
postmodernised
genre.

Changes to genres
Genres can be modified internally or externally:
- by individual examples within a genre
- by changes within the surrounding culture.

 It can make a difference who is writing (man or

woman) or at least, the authors choice of
perspective can make a difference.

Think here of the difference made to the bush

tale by Bayntons adoption of a female
perspective.

Compare Lawson.

Genres and social context

Genres exist in a dynamic relation with their
social context.

Genres are aligned with or imply certain kinds of

audiences or readers,which may be defined by:
gender (e.g., chick flicks)
race (e.g., films aimed at African-Americans)
different levels of cultivation (e.g., art house
films)

Bodies Are Where You Find

Them

Never a Lady

Image credits
http://www.condenaststore.com/
http://scientopia.org/blogs/drugmonkey/files/2014/03/iGrrlCar
toon.jpg

cinemashame.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/catch-up-cinemashame-june-john-fords-the-searchers/

http://www.electric-shadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/0
5/AQOTWF-poster.jpg

http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9780140440331/theconfessions.jpg

http://www.ichill.ca/articles/original-and-sometime-bizarretitles-of-books-turned-into-hollywood-movies