1. Literary Genres(1)

8/11/2019 1. Literary Genres(1)

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L iterary Genres



What is a Genre?

• Definition:categories used

to group differenttypes of literarywork (like non-

fiction, fictionand poetry).



Genre(Source: Ways of Reading , pp 41-47)

“In its most general sense, „genre‟ simply means a sort, or type, of text : thriller, horror movie, musical,autobiography, tragedy, etc. ”

“The word comes from the Latin word „genus‟, meaning „kind‟ or „type‟ of anything , not just literary orartistic works. ”

“(„Genus‟, in fact, is still used to describe a technical sense oftype, in the classication of species; and „generic‟ is sometimes used to mean „broad‟ or „with the properties of a whole type or class‟.)”



Ways of Reading , cont.

“There is an obvious convenience in being able to labeltexts . We can t any given text into a class that offers a convenient shorthand in which to describe what it is

like: it resembles others that people already know. ”

“The notion is useful when applied not only to literary works but also to non-literary discourse,

distinguishing the typical features of, say, a shoppinglist from those of food labeling, a menu or a recipe. ”



Ways of Reading , cont.Difficulties

"For all its convenience, however, the notion of genrepresents difculties . Is there a xed number of sorts of text? If so, when and how was this decided, and onwhat basis? And who will decide for still evolvingtypes, such as emergent styles in popular music,texting or multimedia?

A more theoretical question also arises: whether genre

is a prescriptive category – grouping features to beincorporated into writing or production of a given type

– or whether it is descriptive , generalizing on the basisof agreement among language users."




Classication on the basis of formalarrangement

"One basis for classifying texts is their formalproperties . Sonnets, for instance, have fourteen linesand follow distinctive stanzaic and rhyme patterns. At

the same time, sonnets are a type of poetry, which inturn exists within a conventional three-way distinctionbetween poetry, drama and ction – a classication derived historically from Aristotle‟s distinction between

lyric, epic or narrative, and drama."




"Aristotle further emphasized one particular,distinguishing aspect of form: who speaks. Lyrics areuttered in the rst person; in epic or narrative, the narrator speaks in the rst person, then lets characters speak for themselves; in drama, the characters do allthe talking."

"Although common ever since Aristotle, genre

classication on the basis of formal differences can be difcult to sustain . What about verse drama? Ornarrative poetry (as in ballads)?"



Ways of Reading , cont. Classication on the basis of theme or topic

"Sometimes subject matter is the basis for genreclassication. Texts show thematic afnities by treating the same or similar topics, often topics orsubject matter that may be especially important for thesociety in which the texts circulate (e.g. war, love,independence struggles)."




"The pastoral, for instance, is concerned with countrylife; crime ction is about crime; biography relatesevents in a life, etc.; but in principle it is possible to treatany of these topics following formal conventions of

any of the different kinds listed above , or in differentmoods that will create different kinds of effect on thereader or viewer."




Classication on the basis of mood or anticipatedresponse

"What a text is about can overlap with an attitude oremotion conventionally adopted towards that subjectmatter . Pastoral often implies not just concernwith country life, but also a reective or nostalgic mode. Elegies – although rst dened on the basis of the metre they used – became primarily concernedwith lamenting deaths (and often take the form ofpastoral elegies, delivered in the personae of

shepherds)."




"A more complex case is that of tragedy. Classicaltragedy combines conventions about the protagonist(the „tragic hero‟, who has a character with a crucialaw) and conventions about the nature of the plot (inwhich the main character typically suffers and dies). Atthe same time, tragedy is also dened (at least inAristotle‟s account in Poetics) by its characteristicmode of audience response : what Aristotle called

catharsis, or a purging or purication by means offeelings of pity and fear aroused in the audience by thedramatic spectacle."




Classication on the basis of occasion

"Literary forms may now seem specialized kinds ofdiscourse, isolated from the rest of society and mainlydiscussed in literature classes, but for most of its

history literature has not been marked off withinspecied boundaries in this way. Rather, itsinvolvement in public life, including in various kinds ofsocial ritual, meant that many different texts had their

origins in composition for or performance on specic kinds of social occasion ."




"An epithalamium is a poem written for – andproclaimed at – a public occasion, in celebration ofa victorious person (e.g. an athlete or a general). Thegenre of elegy evolved during the seventeenth centuryinto its modern role as a consolatory lament for thedeath of a particular person. Ballads began as poemsto be danced to, but evolved into two divergenttraditions: continuing folk ballads in the oral

tradition, and urban broadside ballads circulated assingle sheets or chapbooks that typically containedpopular songs, jests, romantic tales and sensationaltopical stories."




Classication on the basis of mode of address

" Even when dissociated from specic social occasions or performance rituals, texts are still in some caseslabelled on the basis of how they address their readersor audience . Some texts involve direct address to areader or audience (e.g. public speeches, letters);others have a specic addressee named in the text butare written so as to be overheard (e.g. odes, dialoguein most stage drama). Sometimes within a single form

there is variation between modes of address ."



Functions of genreWays of Reading

Genre as a framework for a text‟s intelligibility "The main psychological function of genre is to act asa sort of schema , or structured set of assumptions

within our tacit knowledge, that we draw on to guidereading, rather like a series of signposts orinstructions."

Genre as reecting the nature of human experienc e "Some critics have suggested connections betweenspecic genres and fundamental kinds of humanexperience ."



Functions of genre, cont.Ways of Reading

Genre as a promotional device "By comparison with the previous two functions, mostother functions suggested for genre are concernedmore with the social circulation of texts than with

cognitive processes involved in interpreting them.Genres allow audiences to predict and plan kinds ofexperience for themselves. (The problemsolvingpleasure of detective ction, for a story to make youcry, etc.)"

Genre as a way of controlling markets and audiences "Genres in this view are part of a process ofcontrolling the production of entertainment anddirecting culture markets , by actively repeating theformula of whatever has already been successful. (Thenancing of Hollywood lms, with notable exceptions,is often argued to follow this pattern.)"



Non-f iction Books

• Non-fiction bookscontain “informational”material. All of the

information found innon-fiction books arefactual. None of theinformation is “make -believe.”



Examples of Non-fiction Books

• Sports• Cooking• History• Animals/Pets• World Record Books• Technology• Music/Art• Government



Biographies

• Definition- A trueaccount written abouta person’s life.

• Autobiography- Thebiography of a person

written by that person.



Question…

What are some non-fiction booksthat you have read?



Fiction Books

• Fiction books arestories that are made-up by the author.Although these bookscan include somefactual information,the book is primarily“make - believe.”



Examples of Fiction Books

• Junie B. Jones• Diary of a Wimpy Kid

• A to Z Mysteries• Amber Brown

• Horrible Harry

• Ramona Quimby• Magic Tree House



Different Types of Fiction

• Realistic Fiction -These are fictional

stories that seem likethey could reallyhappen. Thecharacters in thesebooks have no special

powers or abilities-they are just like you!




• Science Fiction- Theseare fictional booksthat include elements

of science (like aliensor time travel). Thesebooks can include thediscovering of new

worlds and theexploring of theunknown.




• Historical Fiction - These stories take the readerback to a particular time

period where they learnabout the everyday life ofa person. The story’scharacter may interactwith actual historic

figures (like Ben Franklinor Abraham Lincoln), butusually, the maincharacter is made-up.




• Mystery- In mostmysteries, a crime hasbeen committed andthe reader wants to

figure out who did it. Most mysteries arevery suspenseful andare full of twists.




• Fantasy- These stories are filled withmagical worlds where

anything is possible.These stories includecharacters withmagical powers (like

Harry Potter) ormagical beings (likeunicorns).



Tall Tale

• Exaggerations.• The main character has

problems to solve.• The main character is

bigger than life and hassuper-human abilities.

• The plot of the story isfunny and impossible.

• The main characteralways defeats the villain.

• The story includes lots ofaction.



Horror

• These are fictionalstories meant toscare you! – Examples: The

Goosebumps seriesand The Legend of

Sleepy Hollow.



Question…

What are your favorite fictionalstories?



Name some works of FICTION

that you’ve read



Name some works of

NON- FICTION that you’ve read

1. Literary Genres(1)

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