TLDR;
This video introduces the concept of genre as a set of repeating elements in various forms of media like movies, books, and music. It explains that genres evolve over time and across cultures, highlighting major literary genres such as fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and smaller categories like superhero action movies. The video also discusses how genres can overlap, using "Ant Man" as an example, and how parodies reveal genre conventions. It further explains how genre analysis involves identifying shared features in literary works, such as characters, plots, settings, and themes, using gothic novels as an example. Finally, the video distinguishes genre from medium, clarifying that medium refers to the technology used to convey a story, while genre describes the narrative type.
- Genre is defined by repeating elements in media.
- Genres evolve and can overlap.
- Genre analysis involves identifying shared features in literary works.
- Medium is the technology used to convey a story, distinct from genre.
Introduction to Genre [0:00]
The video starts by defining genre as a term used to describe the repeating elements found in similar types of movies, books, television shows, music, and other media. Genre is described as "typified rhetorical action," which means that certain features repeat over time with few differences, largely because audiences expect or desire specific experiences. These categories develop over time for what we read, watch, and listen to, and they are subject to change across different cultures and time periods.
Examples of Genres [0:59]
The main literary genres include fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, which are broad categories. Nonfiction, for example, can range from memoirs to biographies to instruction manuals, united only by the fact that they are not made up. Similarly, fiction and poetry also carry audience expectations. Genre becomes more specific with smaller categories like action movies, superhero action movies, or parody superhero action movies. Superhero movies typically involve an evil villain, fight scenes, and the superhero's eventual triumph using superpowers. Multiple genres can exist simultaneously, as seen in "Ant Man," which is a superhero movie, an action movie, a comedy, and a parody. Parodies highlight how genres work by making fun of audience expectations.
Genre Analysis in Literature [3:11]
Genre analysis extends to literary works, nonfiction, and poetry. Analyzing gothic novels like "Frankenstein" or "Dracula" involves looking for shared literary features such as similar characters, plots, settings, or themes, such as creepy strangers, lurking danger, haunted castles, and the sinister side of humanity. Genre analysis involves comparing and contrasting these features to understand how a novel adheres to or breaks away from genre conventions. Describing a genre involves showing how similar features are repeated, including literary terms like metaphors, foreshadowing, and flashbacks.
Genre vs Medium [4:28]
The video distinguishes genre from medium, defining medium as the form in which something is delivered. For example, the medium of a gothic novel is a printed book, while the medium of a superhero movie is film. Medium describes the technology used to convey a story but does not necessarily help in understanding the genre. Email is used as an example to illustrate that it is a medium, not a genre, as it can contain various genres of writing, such as love letters, angry messages, or poems. Analyzing genre is a powerful way to understand how narratives work and make sense of the stories and texts around us.