Genre

For the gay men's lifestyle magazine, see Genre (magazine).

A genre [ˈʒã:rə], (French: "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-)) is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other form of art or utterance.

Genres are vague categories with no fixed boundaries. Genres are formed by sets of conventions, and many works cross into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. The scope of the word "genre" is sometimes confined to art and culture, particularly literature, but it has a long history in rhetoric as well. In genre studies the concept of genre is not compared to originality. Rather, all works are recognized as either reflecting on or participating in the conventions of genre.

Age categories

Most genres of fiction may also be segmented by the age of the intended reader:

• Children's fiction
• preteen fiction
• Young-adult fiction
• Adult fiction

Genre and audiences

Although genres are not precisely definable, genre considerations are one of the most important factors in determining what a person will see or read. Many genres have built-in audiences and corresponding publications that support them, such as magazines and websites. Books and movies that are difficult to categorize into a genre are likely to be less successful commercially.

The term may be used in categorising web pages, like "newspage" and "fanpage", with both very different layout, audience, and intention. Some search engines like Vivísimo try to group found web pages into automated categories in an attempt to show various genres the search hits might fit.

"Hierarchy of genres" in painting

In the field of painting, there exists a "hierarchy of genres" associated with the Académie française which once held a central role in academic art. These genres in hierarchical order are:

• History painting
• Genre works
• Portrait painting
• Landscape painting
• Still life painting

These categories played an important role between the 17th century and the modern era, when painters and critics began to rebel against the many rules of the Académie française, including the Académie's preference for history painting.

Genre in linguistics

In philosophy of language, figuring very prominently in the works of philosopher and literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin's basic observations were of "speech genres" (the idea of heteroglossia), modes of speaking or writing that people learn to mimic, weave together, and manipulate (such as "formal letter" and "grocery list", or "university lecture" and "personal anecdote"). In this sense genres are socially specified: recognized and defined (often informally) by a particular culture or community. The work of Georg Lukács also touches on the nature of literary genres, appearing separately but around the same time (1920s–1930s) as Bakhtin. Norman Fairclough has a similar concept of genre that emphasises the social context of the text: Genres are "different ways of (inter)acting discoursally" (Fairclough, 2003: 26)

However, this is just one way of conceiveing genre. Charaudeau & Maingueneau determine four different analytic conceptualisations of genre. A text's genre may be determined by its: 1. Linguistic function. 2. Formal traits. 3. Textual organisation. 4. Relation of communicative situation to formal and organisational traits of the text (Charaudeau & Maingueneau 2002: 278-80).

List of Genres

• Historical: A real life event of a person or event. Often, they are written in a text book format.
  • Biography: A true life account of a real person. The story of their life is usually told from the main character's point of veiw.
    • Autobiography: The same thing as a biograhpy, but the story is written by the person who is the subject of the story.
  • Historical Fiction: A story that takes place in the real world, with real world people, but with several made up elements.
    • Historical Fantasy: A story, similar to a Historical Fiction story, but with mystical elemants mixed into it. Usually, the mystical elements are annonymouce in these stories to be to true to the real world continuity.
    • Historical SciFi: A story, similar to a Historical Fiction, but with advanced technology that usually takes place in the future, following the prediction of future technology.
• Adventure: A story about a protagonist who journeys to epic or distant places to accomplish something. It can have many other genre elements mixed with it because it is a very open genre.
• Action: A story, similar to Adventure, but the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate situations. Action and Adventure are usually categorized together because they have a lot in common.
  • Superhero: A story about a person or creature who possesses supernatural abilities. Often, they use their abilities to protect or avenge people.
  • Military: A story about a war or battle that can either be historical or fictional. It usually follows the events a certain warrior goes through during the battle's events.
  • Spy: A story about a secret agent or military personal who is sent on a secret mission. Usually, they are equipped with special gadgets that prove useful during the mission. Usually, the secret agent's mission is not for battle.
  • Swashbuckling: A story about a protagonist who gets into risky situations. In the story, the protagonist is usually in fights against villains, using weapons. The single handed sword is most commonly used by the protagonists in this genre.
• Science Fiction: A story about technology or the future. It is usually about machines or space travel, often lacking the reason the technology works. It commonly has action and adventure elements mixed in with it.
  • Military Science Fiction: A story about a war or battle against aliens, monsters or other nations. It usually has technology far superior to today's.
  • Space Opera: A story characterized by the extent of space travel and distinguished by the amount of time that protagonists spend in an active, spacefaring lifestyle.
  • Steam Punk: A story that takes place around the time steam technology was first coming into use. The industrial revolution is a common time frame steam punk stories take place in.
• Fantasy: A story about magic and supernatural forces, rather than technology.
  • Science Fantasy: A story with mystical elements that are scientifically explainable.
  • Real Magic: A story that doesn't have tradition magic or mystical elements. The romantic or spiritual events in the story are usually everyday events that suddenly motivate people to do good.
  • High Fantasy: A story that takes place in a completely different world or universe, having different races, traditions and even religions. Often, there aren't any real world events that tie into the story.
• Romance: A story about character's relationships, or engagements. It's a story about character development, rather than adventures.
• Crime Fiction: A story about a crime that is being committed or was committed. It can also be an account of a criminal's life. It often falls into the Action genre.
  • Mystery: A story about a detective or person who has to solve a crime that was committed. They must figure out who committed the crime and why. Sometimes, the detective must figure out 'how' the criminal committed the crime if it seems impossible.
    • Murder Mystery: A story, similar to a mystery, but it focuses on one type of criminal case. Usually, there is a murder victim, and the detective must figure out who killed him, the same way he solves other crimes.
  • Mob: A story about mobsters, and their life account. It can describe the crimes they have committed, or the mob's general development.
• Drama: A story about character's and their personal or moral problems. Usually, the character's personal problems tie into a much larger story about their life, or somebody else's.
  • Dramedy: A serious story about personal problems, similar to Drama. But it is filled with dark and serious humor.
• Comedy: A story that tells about a series of funny or comical events, intended to make the audience laugh. It can have a lot of genre cross overs, because it is very open.
  • Dark Humor: Similar to comedy, but the jokes and puns are told from a serious point of view. Usually, the story is serious, but the humor is added to keep the story colorful.
• Documentary: A story that re-tells events rather than create them. Usually, it is about true historic events.
  • Mokumentary: A story that isn't about true historical events. It is the opposite of a Documentary. It is usually about made up events.
• Horror: A story that is told to deliberately scare the audience, through suspense, violence or shock.
  • Monster: A story about a monster, creature or mutant that terrorizes people. Usually, it fits into the horror genre.
    • Giant Monster: A story about a giant monster, similar to the monster genre. However, giant monster stories are about a monster big enough to destroy buildings. Some stories are about two giant monsters fighting each other.
  • Slasher: A story that usually has an antagonist, who is a serial killer or insane. The slasher usually kills his victims in the movie, by slowly creeping up to them, and quickly killing them with a sharp object. Then they walk away silently, leaving the victim dead.
• Thriller: A story that is usually a mix of fear and excitment. It has traits from the action genre, but the suspence and terror almost makes it a horror. It usually has a dark theme, which also makes it similar to a drama.
  • Disaster-Thriller: A thriller story about mass peril, and the protagonist's job is to save a lot of people from a grim fate.
  • Psycological-Thriller: A thriller that is less about the action, and more about the mental health of the hero. The hero usually had mental problems that get in the way of his objective. Some Psycological Thrillers are also about complicated stories that try to diliberatly confuse the audience.
  • Crime-Thriller: A thiller story that revolves around the life of detectives, mobs, or other groups associated with criminal events in the story.
  • Techo-Thriller: A thriller story whose theme is usually technology, or the danger behind the technology people use.

Genres unique to movies.

• Animation: It's a genre that isn't about the story's contents. Its about the visual effects in movies instead.
  • Live Action: A genre that doesn't fall into animation. Its a way of filming movies, using real people, props and sets. However, the visual effects in some films have CGI, but the film still falls under live action, as long as the human characters are played by real people.
  • Traditional Animation: It's one of the oldest animation genres. Basically, its a way of animating a cartoon, by drawing and painting pictures. The drawings are different frames of animation, and when they are flipped at the right speed, they give the illusion of movement.
  • Stop Motion: A genre similar to Traditional Animation. However, instead of using hand drawn pictures, stop motions films are made with small figurines that have their picture taken millions of times. Flipping these pictures the same way as Traditional Animation, it looks like the small figurines are moving.
  • Computer Generated Images (CGI): A way of animating a cartoon on a computer modeling program. Models of characters or props are created on the computer, and then animated to do something specific. Then, when the animation is completely programed, the computer can play a completely computer generated movie. CGI is often used for the visual effects in Live Action films as well.
  • Puppetry: Although, it is technically Live Action, puppetry is a different way of animating a movie. Usually, there are small figurines (similar to stop motion), but the figurines are controlled and animated in real time. Puppetry can be found in Live Action films, similar to CGI.

Genres unique to television.

• Serial: A television show, where a whole season, or whole show is one continuous story. Each episode picks up from where the last one left off.
• Game Show: A television show that isn't a fictional story. It's a real life competition between guest stars who are brought in during every episode. In every episode they either play a quiz, or undergo some small physical challenge, and often win money for every success.
• Sitcom: It's short for 'Situation Comedy'. It's a show about characters, and their hilarious responce to different situations in their every day life.

Genres unique to video games.

• Shooter: A game where the main purpose is to fight and shoot guns to win.
  • First Person Shooter: A shooting game. In the game, the camera is actually in place of the character's eyes, so you are playing the game from his point of view.
  • Third Person Shooter:: A shooting game. In the game the camera is actually hovering over the playable character as you play.
• Strategy: A game where the purpose is to strategize. You have an opponent with the same abilities as you, more or less, and to beat him, you must use your abilities in a much more tactical way.
  • Real Time Strategy (RTS): A strategy game where everybody plays at the same time, and races to think of a better strategy than the other players. Most of these video games are about military.
    • Massive Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy (MMORTS): A Real Time Strategy game that is played online. Many players can sign on a play at the same time, creating empires and battling each other.
  • Turn Based Strategy: A strategy game where everybody takes turns. Once everybody has placed their units and military characters in the right spot they can't move again until the next turn begins.
• Musical: A game where music is usually played. To win, the players must match the rhythm of the music by pushing the right button combination until their opponents are unable to keep up with them.
• Simulation: A game where you must manage and develop a real world, or fictitious business. For example, in a game you might be asked the manage and build a zoo, and the game simulates this for you in as accurate a way as possible.
• Puzzle: A game were you must solve puzzles in order to progress through the levels.
• Platform: Usually, it is a game where the playable character must go around and collect key items that prove useful in game play. To collect these items, the character usually has to help non playable characters with basic tasks.
• Fighting: A game where two or more playable characters fight. Each character usually has their own unique moves, and the goal of the game, usually, is to be the last man standing.
• Side Scroller: A really basic type of game. Each playable character can only move in four directions. Up, down, left and right. They can't move forwards and backwards.
• Boss: Normally, it isn't a unique game type. A boss level is a special level a playable character usually comes across. A boss, is an extra powerful villain based off a world's theme, and defeating them usually gives the player an advantage. A true boss level, is a level the player can't escape from, and the only way to get away is to win in the fight.
• Role Playing Game {RPG}: A game that isn't about combat. It's a game where the player plays a character, and goes around pretending to be a real person in a fictitious world.
  • Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG): A game similar to a regular Role Playing Game, but it is a multiplayer. During this game, thousands of players can play the same game at the same time. Players sign on and play and have competitions with other players while the game is commensing.

Genres unique to music

• Classical: Music that was composed in the 18th and 19th centuries by popular artist, like Beethoven.
• Folk: Musical adaptions of old stories that were passed from generation to generation. They were popular in the early 20th century.
• Rock: Music that originated from Folk. It used newer electrical instruments instead of the classical woodwinds and stringed instruments. It first became popular in the mid 20th century because of famous bands, like The Beatles.
• Metal: Similar to Rock. It usually uses the same electrical instruments, but the music is more pumped up and intense.
• Pop: Usually, it refers to any popular music during the time period. It is commonly placed in the mid 20th century, along side Rock music. Usually, it has an intense 'groove' to the tone.
• Blues: Gentle music that was common in the early 20th century. They almost always use woodwinds, and don't always need voices to go along with the melody.
• Romantic: A very peaceful tone of music that creates a gentle atmosphere when listened to. They don't usually have voices, so the atmosphere won't get ruined. it is a type of vocabulary
• Metalcore:Similiar to Metal. Usually composed of electric guitars in lower than normal tunings. Contain breakdowns (sequences of a song where the band will play in half time, giving the feeling of a slower tempo]. If it were to be explained in a connotation of food it would be like gravy dipped rolos.

References

Charaudeau, P.; Maingueneau, D. & Adam, J. Dictionnaire d'analyse du discours Seuil, 2002

Fairclough, Norman. Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research Routledge, 2003

External links

• Helping Children Understand Literary Genres
• Genres of film at the Internet Movie Database
• An Introduction to Genre Theory by Daniel Chandler