A text is classified in a genre through the identification of key elements which occur in that text and in others of the same genre. These elements may be referred to as paradigms, and range from costume, to music, to plot points, to font (depending on the medium). Audiences recognise these paradigms, and bring a set of expectations to their reading of the text accordingly; the criminal will be brought to justice at the end of a police thriller. These paradigms may be grouped into those relating to iconography (ie the main signs and symbols that you see/hear), structure (the way a text is put together and the shape it takes) and theme (the issues and ideas it deals with).
According to Daniel Chandler, genres create order to simplify the mass of information available. Creating categories promotes organisation instead of chaos. Conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content or form which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them.
Jane Feuer has divided ways to categorise genres into three groups;
- Aesthetic: organising according to certain sets of characteristics, and so the overall work of the artist isn't disparaged by generalisation.
- Ritual: ritual uses it own culture to help classify - if one performs a ritual associated with the system of ritual, one can be said to be practicing as a member of that system.
Amy J. Devitt focuses on rhetorical genre. Scholars generally recognise the restrictions placed on works that have been classified as a certain genre. However, viewing genre as a rhetorical device gives the author and the reader more freedom and "allows for choices". Genres aren't free-standing entities, but are actually intimately connected and interactive amongst themselves. Rhetorical genre recognises that genres are generated by authors, readers, publishers and the entire array of social forces that act upon a work at every stage of its production.
This recognition doesn't make the taxonomy of texts easy. Chandler points out that very few works have all the characteristics of the genre in which they participate. Also, due to the interrelatedness of genres, none of them is clearly defined but instead they fade into one another. Genre works to promote organisation, but there's no absolute way to classify works, and thus genre is still problematic and its theory still evolving.
Quotes and theories from theorists such as Chandler, Neale and Ryall;
This recognition doesn't make the taxonomy of texts easy. Chandler points out that very few works have all the characteristics of the genre in which they participate. Also, due to the interrelatedness of genres, none of them is clearly defined but instead they fade into one another. Genre works to promote organisation, but there's no absolute way to classify works, and thus genre is still problematic and its theory still evolving.
Quotes and theories from theorists such as Chandler, Neale and Ryall;
Genre is important for both the audience and producers...
Classification by genre is seen as both positive and negative by audiences, producers, and theorists. On the one hand, rigorous conformity to established conventions while giving the audience what they want, can actually lead to stagnation and the eventual ossification of a genre as a "they're all the same" judgement is passed. This is what happened to the traditional Hollywood Western and Musical - once many profitable examples of these genres were pumped out by the studio each year, but the formats became stale through repetition and audiences lost interest. It is now only when a Western or Musical that challenges the conventions and defies expectation (eg Brokeback Mountain or Moulin Rouge) comes along that non-niche audiences are willing to watch.
On the other hand, the genre of reality television has defied criticism that it is stale, contrived and predictable, and is now the basis of programming for entire networks. Although all possible variations of the same structure, iconography, and theme seem to have been run through in the space of a decade, it's still popular with audiences who seem to enjoy the familiarity of the patterns presented onscreen. "Television producers set out to exploit genre conventions" - Nicholas Abercrombie; which essentially means that media producers use conventions to create familiar and 'safe' products, which are likely to be successful.
Genre can provide structure and form which can allow a great deal of creativity and virtuosity, especially when a genuine reworking of generic conventions comes along. Genre provides key elements for an audience to recognise, so that may further appreciate the variation and originality surrounding the representation of those elements.
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