So, we’re going through a crash course of content in the early goings on genre, especially since we miss(ed) out on class on Monday the 16th. Since it’s critical for us moving forward to have a firm grasp on what precisely genre is, and how we understand it, let’s start there!
For this post, I want you to write no fewer than 200 words (so at least a healthy paragraph, but preferably more!) explaining how you personally understand what a "genre" is at the moment. You can discuss what knowledge you came in with, examples, what we’ve discussed in class, what you’ve learned so far, and whatever else works for you! DUE BY 11:59 PM, Sunday, January 22nd
25 Comments
Darby Brown
1/20/2017 10:19:52 am
Genre is such a complex word that it cannot be defined with the basic definition of “category.” The use of genre can help give people a general idea of what they are about to immerse themselves in. In reference to films or books genres help to narrow down the mood the audience is supposed to feel when watching or reading the specified material. For example, when watching a horror movie such as The Birds, the viewer is meant to feel uneasy and afraid. While reading a thriller book such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the reader is supposed to be kept on the edge of his or her seat, frightful yet excited for what is to come. But genre can also be a little fluid. It can be altered and shaped to fit the desired audience. In Kerry Dirk’s “Navigating Genres,” the manipulation of genre is described perfectly. The way a piece of material is written depends on who is going to be doing the reading. If an email is being sent to a business associate, for instance, the overall “genre” of the text is professional, while an email being sent to a friend is more casual. Genres can also be easily related to a person’s everyday life. In my personal opinion I feel that each individual is made up of many genres. From humor to drama to even horror, a person is comprised of an assortment of categories. Although it is impossible to restrict one particular genre to a person as a whole, it is feasible to identify with the fact that genre can represent some aspects of a person’s daily life. As a result of its multiplex characteristics, genre is more than just a category, it is a very broad term used for a variety of circumstances.
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Natalie Añón
1/20/2017 01:59:21 pm
When I was younger, I would envision my life as a movie. Every fight, big moment, and events would be made into a little movie about my life and how I'm living it. Then, I didn't realize that what I was doing was essentially engaging my life to a genre. If someone could see my "life movie" what would they think? That to me is more or less what genre entails. It is the complexity and depth of a subject that enables a person to relate to something for more than was it is. Any one and many people can read a book that is either assigned to them or just a best seller, all those people relate to the book somehow in different ways, either through the characters or just the events that transpire. Everyone has a different perception of what genre is, but that's just because everyone has different logic and experiences. I thought about my “life movie” as a way for people to get to know me. Genre makes things relatable. That’s what makes it such a complex and broad subject.
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Kayleigh A
1/20/2017 03:01:54 pm
Growing up I thought genre was strictly associated with books, for instance, mystery, action, and drama. I never really stopped to think that the word genre could be much more than that. After reading the assigned article and discussing the meaning of the word in class, I realized that my definition of the word genre was only part of what it actually means. I now understand that the word genre is a very elaborate but also broad term that encompasses many versatile categories within it. Music, media, movies, photography, sports and many more are genres that people identify themselves with and can relate to. I personally think it is really interesting that genre is such a broad term because it gives writers so much freedom to express their opinions and feelings. For my paper, I had to do some additional research to find out what music genre by favorite band is in. I ended up discovering a whole new genre of music that I did not even know existed. I was really pleased to find out that many of the bands I enjoy listening to were listed in the same genre of music. Discovering this genre helped me to understand that the word genre is very complex and applies to so many different things, not just books. Over the years, genre has evolved and become a term that people can now understand to be more than just pertaining to books, but be much more than that.
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K Kanaday
1/20/2017 07:57:07 pm
Coming into this class, I thought of genre simply as a way to define what kind of movie, tv show, book, etc. I was going to be viewing. To be more specific, I thought of it simply as subjects like comedy, romance, or horror. I never imagined there to be anything beyond that, but a few days in this class has already changed my mind. I’ve learned that it can be so much more, and doesn’t necessarily have to be what you would expect when you hear the word. A big part of genre accounts to thinking outside of the box. A video game could be a genre just as much as a funny movie. It can be a very broad term that encompasses many things. But on a good note, having so options, there’s a lot more room for personal expression. And I think that’s what our first project is mainly about; using genre to create forms of personal expression. I look forward to expanding my knowledge on the subject even more as the class goes on, and finding all the new and interesting ways that there are to express myself. And most importantly, thinking outside of the box.
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Taylor Driver
1/20/2017 09:11:34 pm
Before beginning my genre project, the meaning of it was rather straightforward to me. Genre was something I just knew and accepted. I did not question its meaning up until this class. In my head, genre was a very generalized set of media. When thinking of genre, I pictured action, adventure, romance, fantasy, and the other major media settings. Genre had always just been these major categories to me. However, the new knowledge I have gained on the topic of genre has turned it into more of a grey subject rather than a simple black and white one it was before. After reading “Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk I especially found genre more complex than I had originally believed it to be. The moment that most made me come to believe this was when the author stated that the State of the Union Address was its own genre. I found that to be incredibly interesting as I never considered such a specific item to have a genre of its own. Prior to learning about genre, I considered my favorites to be very generalized categories such as action and adventure. This definitely opened me up to the many other genres in my life that I had never considered before.
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Micayla Green
1/21/2017 11:02:30 am
Before starting this project, I thought genre was more of a category meant for books. Most of us were taught the basics of genre in elementary school like fiction, non-fiction, etc. After this discussion in class, I’ve learned that genre is a much more complex concept than I imagined. Genre is a versatile concept that can be manipulated and constructed based on style and preference. There are no strict rules when it comes to genre which allows writers to express themselves freely. I found it interesting that we are all made up of multiple genres that basically become part of who we are and of our everyday life. I never realized that the music I listened to, the movies I watched, the clothes I wore and even my social media all seemed to have the same “genre” or theme. Genre is our form of personal expression and what makes every person unique. Genre is not a concrete concept and is always changing and evolving throughout time. Unlike most rhetorical concepts, genre is free and has no limits. After doing this project, I’ve realized that no person is made up of just one genre. Experiences have changed people throughout their life, as well as changed their genre of life and their interests.
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Saisha Tirado
1/21/2017 11:42:57 am
Coming into ENC2135, I never really thought about genre except when attending a movie or listening to music. All I knew was that I hated horror films, I could sit through a documentary, and I loved dramas and comedies. Whenever someone asked me about my favorite genre of music, I did not think too much into it and would simply reply “I’m open to all music.” Although genres can be extremely specific with their names, I knew beforehand that they can be broken down into subgenres, making the concept that more difficult to comprehend. After our first class discussion I came to the conclusion that genre is not as easily defined as I thought it would be. Kerry Dirk’s “Navigating Genres,” which we discussed in class, gave me a brand new perspective on genre and allowed me to understand that the definition of genre goes beyond what meets the eye. The exposure to this prompt showed me that genres may not be as formal as they seem and they even appear in things as common as our social actions. As I have learned from this class, it is better to know the basic functions of many genres rather than knowing all about one particular genre. I now understand that the key to understanding genre has a lot to do with understanding that it is different in almost every form. Genre is a text that follows a certain criteria and structure, but that criteria varies. Also, genres can be used as a way to create an expectation about a piece of art, music, or writing. Personally, I am still not completely confident in my definition of genre, but I now have a better understanding on what to expect when it comes to this topic.
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Grant Hawks
1/21/2017 02:09:47 pm
Coming into this class I had never put much thought into genre at all. All throughout school when I heard genre I always associated it with books with genres such as historical fiction, mystery, or just simply fiction or non fiction. Through the discussions and class and reading some of the short reads about genre such at “Navigating Genres”, as well as formulating our first project I have discovered genre is much more complex than most probably see at first glance. There are many different ways of seeing genre for what it is and even much more. Genre is a very personable feature of composition and can be a interesting and a different way to define someone. I have learned that a genre can be from a book, movie, type of music, and even different sports. Many genres can describe a person but I have learned that there are a couple that truly define someones life day in and day out because it isn't plausible to just fit someone in one genre because there is so much more to the subject. For me, through the process of trying to understand genre better finding what genre describes me on a daily basis helped me to have the better understanding in a more personal way. For me I figured out that country music is the genre that most represents my daily life. I don't understand genre to its full extent but from when we first began discussing the topic I have a much better understanding.
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Alex Lennon
1/21/2017 03:01:50 pm
Before this class began, I only thought of genres as very broad, basic categories for movies, books, etc. I thought it included romance, comedy, drama, horror, but nothing more than just these vague descriptions that gave you an idea on what the story was going to be about. However, even though this class has only just begun, I already have a much deeper understanding of what genre is. The most interesting thing I've learned about genre so far is what was states in Dirk's "Navigating Genre." She explained that when George Washington gave the first ever State of the Union address, he was creating a new genre. He had the freedom to speak of whatever he wanted, as those behind him would simply follow in his footsteps. It is very interesting to think about genre in this way, and how each person who creates something new is potentially creating a new genre for people to tweak and make their own in the future. Genre allows one's creativity to flow, and a genre can be constantly changing and evolving with time. People all around us are all made up of several different genres, adding up to create a unique and individual person.
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Menina Barton
1/21/2017 06:00:16 pm
Movies, Television shows, books and songs all have genres. I was well aware of this before beginning project one; however, it is not as simple as high school made us think. What I was not aware of was that people fall under specific genres as well. We are all unique and have preferences on how we should live our lives. Our genres are dependent on the choices we make throughout our lives. When presented with a situation, we can either make an adventurous, horrific, comedic or dramatic decision. These decisions make up who we are. I have learned that there is a plethora of genres outside the classic ones: nonfiction, fiction, horror, adventure, drama, action, etc. Kerry Dirk’s pieces: “Navigating Genres”, made me reconsider the entire meaning on genre. I realized that most anything can be made into a genre. Genres are more than just action and adventure, everything in life has a genre of its own. No two genres are the same. The books, movies and even people within a specific genre are all unique. To understand what genre was took time. I thought there were specific requirements to each one, but actually a genre is what the writer wants it to be. My idea of a comedy may be different than yours. Our genres can be whatever we want them to be.
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Paula P.
1/21/2017 11:09:15 pm
Genre is a concept difficult to explain given its extensive scope. When I thought of genre I used to think in a type a categorization and classification based on guidelines and stylistic rules that grouped certain texts because of their similarities. I immediately imagined popular genres such as comedy, drama, and science fiction but I did not realize that there are hundreds of different genres and sub-genres that facilitate the understanding of my preferred shows, books, and music. However, after reading “Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk and discussing it in class, my understanding of genre grew. Now I know that genre is not a box, it is not meant to imprison creativity and turn master pieces into mediocre versions of the same idea. Evidently there are guidelines that represent specific genres but these rules can be flexible, hybrids, and combinations of styles that then lead to subgenres and give artists an immense freedom to build brilliant projects and express their feelings. Hybrid genres are especially seen in music where you can find that pop-rock, indie folk, and alternative rock are branches of original categories of music. One of my favorite genres is situational comedy (sitcom), a type of comedy that started on the radio mainly but quickly expanded to TV. It focuses on the lives of a set of characters, they are usually short in episode duration, and you do not have to watch them on sequential order to understand what is happening. Some examples of sitcoms are Friends, Modern Family, That 70s Show, and New Girl. Regardless of categories, everyone might have a different perception of it, and what you consider comedic might not be my taste of comedy, but that is the beauty of diversity and freedom in creation.
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Kendall C
1/22/2017 10:44:06 am
Before this class I didn’t give much thought to genre. I had little to no knowledge about it, but I used to believe that genre was a very simple term. I considered it to be just a way to describe a type of book and that the meaning was very black and white. However, I have learned that it is not as straightforward as I had originally perceived it be. Genre is much more than a type of book. As we learned from Kerry Dirk, when you are first learning about genre you think of it as simple, but it is much more broad term. Genre can basically be anything you want it to be. It can be types of books, movies, music, art, and it can even describe yourself. At the moment I consider genre to be complex. I find it so intricate because it can be anything. Personally, I relate to genre as different stages of my life. I have experienced fantasy, action, horror, comedy, adventure, and I am sure I will encounter even more. I have learned a lot about genre in this class already within the first two weeks, so I am interested in what else I am going to discover throughout the rest of the semester.
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Hailey
1/22/2017 12:09:09 pm
The word genre is a very broad term. When I first think of genre a lot comes to my mind. Whether it is different types of movies, types of books, music and a lot more. When someone says genre it reminds me a little about categories because it’s a topic within a topic I believe. For example, there is a genre of sports we can say figure skating. Figure skating alone can be a genre because it is a genre of sports but within figure skating there is a lot more types of genres of skating. There can be singles skating, pair skating, ice dancing and many more. Same thing I believe goes with music there is country music which is its own genre hip hop music, dance and electric music and much more. When I first started this class and you asked us what we thought genre meant this is what came to my mind right away. When we went over the passage in class about examples of genres and a boy explaining his experience with it about country music it gave me a much better understand of it. He explains what you need in your lyrics to be considered to fall into the genre of country music. He explains that in the genre of country music the lyrics are written about either a tragedy or events that occurred in that person’s life which give the music a feeling. By reading this small excerpt and discussing it in class it made me think a little more and help me out with what the word genre really means.
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Arell Harris
1/22/2017 01:14:48 pm
Genre can be so many different things when one is asked, "what is genre." Throughout the class discussions and writing a draft on genre, I've come to believe it's just a way of adding detail to a topic. Genre is used to break down a very broad subject such as music, into particular, specific pieces like rap, country, reggae, and plenty more. If I tell someone that I like music, there isn't a doubt that their next question is, "what kind of music do you like" because music is such a broad concept to talk about. Now if I say I like country music then they know exactly what I am talking about. And that's what genre is, it's a way of creating categories for broad subjects, it's detail, it is what actually makes something what it is. The crazy thing about genre is, is that you can ask one hundred people the same question, "what is your definition of genre," and I would bet money that you get one hundred unique answers. All may be similar to each other, but none exactly the same. So what is genre? Genre is a big funnel that specifies broad subjects into specifics so that they can be discussed with more focus.
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Samantha V
1/22/2017 01:19:39 pm
The way I view a genre is as a classification of many different categories into one large genre. Before this class, when I thought of the word genre, I thought of books and music. At first the new idea of genres really took me back, I was slightly confused as to what it really was. Since being in this class I have learned that genre is actually very vague and open to interpretation. As I began to interpret this word myself I realized that a genre that describes my life is adventure. After discussing it in class my definition was broadened. This really gave me a head start on my paper. Once I realized that I could be creative and that this definition was not rigid and direct, I ran with my more creative side. When I read “navigating genres” Dirks explanation gave me a better understanding of what the word genre actually meant. I learned that there is much more than just comedy, romance, and horror as genres. Genre to everyone means something different and I think that is what is so unique about project One. It is giving us a chance to write freely and express our interpretation on Genre.
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Samantha Martinez
1/22/2017 03:14:14 pm
Before starting ENC 2135, I thought genre was just about different categories. In elementary school, we were taught that there were different types of genres for books. For example, nonfiction, fiction, mystery, drama, romance and more. Genre was also to categorize movies like romance, comedy, horror, thriller, and more. But ever since ENC 2135, genre is much more complicated than these simple categories. After reading the piece “Navigating Genres,” by Kerry Dirk, it made me reconsider the whole entire meaning on genre. I learned from this piece that people themselves can fall under genre. The choices we make throughout our individual lives are dependent on our genre. What we do makes our own genre. One of the examples that Kerry Dirk used in her piece that stood out to me was the example of the country song. When she was explaining how country songs tend to tell stories and how they are often depressing or how they express pride but, made us think that what if she wanted to write a country song without having one of those characteristics of a country song. Would it still be a country song? With this example, it made me realize that genre is so much more. Now that I have explored my horizons on genre, it has helped me understand what I must do for my Project 1. However, since genre makes things so relatable that’s why this project tends to be complex.
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Daphne Hood
1/22/2017 03:22:24 pm
Before taking this course, I saw genre as something so limited. Now after only a few classes, I realize how unlimited it actually is. I used to hear the word and think of library class growing up like what kind of book do I want to read? Or I would think of what type of songs/ movies that I like. After talking about genre in class and reading pieces of text talking about the concept, I have a much better understanding of what the term means. Genre- texts meeting certain expected criteria and falling into a certain type of genre. I got this idea from reading Dirk's, “Navigating Genres.” What struck me the most from this was right in the beginning how it asked "would a country song even be a country song if it didn't meet the expected criteria that comes with being a country song?" This made me realize genre is only things being done a certain way repeatedly and over time they get a "title," classifying them. Genres can relate to people, any kind of texts, music, etc, its endless. The concept of genre is so much more than simply, a category. There are endless genres, it is up to the writers, readers, watchers, listeners, to grasp what the genres are and what they choose them to be really.
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Raeanna Murray
1/22/2017 04:06:40 pm
A genre is style of writing or of a work that follows a specific style, and includes similar content. There are many different genres, each consisting of different characteristics. A genre helps us recognize and respond to certain things in certain ways. Usually containing a certain theme or content, genres help us identify or create specific styles of literary or artistic works. Genres help us understand a work’s meaning and/or purpose. Without genres, we wouldn’t have any way of distinguishing one type of work from another. For example, the genre, fiction is defined by anything created from the imagination unlike non fiction which is real. A romance genre usually consists of a love story and a satisfying ending. Also, there are sub-genres. An example of a sub-genre would be “Romance fiction”, which would be a fictional love story. There are many genres and they are very complex. It is better to have an understanding that genres are abundant and complex, rather than knowing about just a few specific genres.
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Peyton K.
1/22/2017 04:10:01 pm
Before this class, I never gave the idea of genre much thought. I simply knew genre as a way to categorize similar items into a group. Books have different genres; mystery, romance, thriller, crime, children’s books, cook books, and music has different genres; country, pop, rock, alternative, EDM. I never thought much deeper into it. Genre was just a word I read when I went to the bookstore, or walked through the music section in Target. Now, what genre means to me is much broader. After discussions in class and reading the assigned homework readings, my definition of a genre has changed. Genre, to me now, is a method of grouping items with similar characteristics together, but also being able to intertwine whereas one item can belong to two different genres at the same time. Two different genres of music can blend together and find similarities between them. Two different genres of books can also contain similar plot lines and other characteristics. Further than that, genre is not restricted to books and music. Everything in life can be categorized into a genre, even people. And people can be defined by and relate to different genres. Everything is connected. I can belong to three different genres all at the same time because part of being human is obtaining many different characteristics that define who you are. Things and people cannot be limited to categorize themselves into one genre.
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Liana Fussell
1/22/2017 06:15:07 pm
There are many different ways to get a point across and to effectively inform readers on the topic at hand. Some audiences are more effectively reached through some genres rather than others. For example, one would likely have difficulty effectively communicating their argument to teens or college students through literary work. It would likely be more effective to reach them through more modern means such as social media, videos, or a short story. A genre can be any sort of way that these things are communicated. A genre can be a podcast, a photo essay, a Twitter account, Facebook post, encyclopedia entry, and basically anything along those lines that is used to reach an audience. I previously thought of a genre such as with movies as if a movie was labeled as a comedy, romance, tragedy, etc.. The knowledge I came in with was fairly basic and more based off of fictional narratives rather than persuasion. From our discussion in class and readings, I have realized that it is much more than that and in this setting a genre is any means used to reach the audience to communicate an idea. I have learned that different audiences are reached in different ways, and one must know and understand their audience in order to be successful in his/her writing.
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Jake Salzsieder
1/22/2017 07:02:56 pm
Genre, as stated in Dirk’s “Navigating Genre”, is “taking what is often quite theoretical in the field of rhetoric and composition and making it a bit more tangible.” To me, this translates to genre doesn’t have a specific definition because it it’s changing and it’s a thought. We use ideas off of our previous knowledge and make our own criteria for what a genre is. Before I started taking this class, I had only a small knowledge of what the term meant. I thought it meant what type of work/style it was. I also thought genre only applied to books and movies. The universal genres were action, drama, comedy, fiction, nonfiction, etc. Now I’ve realized that genre applies to a lot more than just that. This is why understanding genre is so difficult; it’s extremely vague. One person’s connotation of an action genre can be very different than another’s. This also makes genre special to you. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. It gives a writer boundless freedom to write which makes anything achievable. This can be dangerous or beneficial, because once the reader/viewer evaluates this piece, they make connections with what they have known before reading the piece. This influences how they think about it and ultimately helps them determine what the genre is. It is based off of what they have evaluated in the past. This is how they determine what genre the piece fits to them. A writer can aim to write towards a particular genre, and generally do a good job at it, but the reader is generally the one who determines the genre they see in the piece written.
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Carla
1/22/2017 08:19:55 pm
I have always been taught about genres growing up when discussing novels, music, plays, or poetry. When I would write book reports in high school the genre had to be mentioned but I always felt as if it was already chosen for me, I couldn’t debate it nor choose another one, my teacher already knew what to expect when I would discuss the novels genre. But, after going over the readings and beginning the genre assignment I have realize that genre is far more than just a “category” or “theme”, its all based on interpretation, or opinion. There isn’t ever one specific answer, and I find that such a great concept because thats what has always been in the back of my mind when discussing genre prior to this semester. Genre doesn’t have to only be based on text, which is neat because I was only introduced to it in that way. Genre is a huge part of our everyday lives, such as social media aesthetics like Instagram feeds or twitter accounts, a restaurants decorations like a 50s theme, archictecture around cities and even people. I’m excited to apply it to my life because I’ve never considered experiences in my life as creating a genre for myself!
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Alexa Berland
1/22/2017 08:23:44 pm
Before this class, I hadn't given the idea of genres much thought. I usually perceived it as different types of music, literature, or art. But, honestly mainly towards music. I thought of it as Rap, R&B, Pop, or Metal. I knew it was different categories. That all had different characteristics. However, now being in the class I understand what genres truly mean and how they define so many different styles and ideas. Through our English class, we even have to give ourselves a genre, and explain how it defines us and why. Genres can overlap, intertwine, and combine to create another genre, completely on its own. Genres also explain emotion such as romance, comedy, or tragedy. Genre could define relationships, stories, and even novels. Genres give categories to novels and movies. It has also come to my attention in this class that genres are broad but can be broken down into something more detail oriented. For example it could be the genre of a novel such as romantic comedy, or tragic romance. Genre isn't black and white and hardly concrete. It could define so much and so little at the exact same time. It is something that is as complicated or as simple as what it represents and I am excited to learn more about it.
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Taylor Kelley
1/23/2017 07:30:52 am
Honestly before this class i didn't give genre a second thought. Normally when I heard the word genre I thought of movies, books, songs. For example action movies, alternative music, and science fiction books. Now I am starting to see that genre is much broader than that. Nearly everything can be categorized in some sort of genre. I also never gave much thought to what makes a genre, like what it needs to fit in to a specific genre till recently. For example in the article "understanding Genre" they pick apart the lyrics of a country song then pose the question would it still be a country song if the rhythm remained the same but the lyrics were unrelated to usual country songs. I think I am just beginning to see what genre really is. Genre is complex and forever changing, because just because one person classifies it under a specific genre doesn't mean someone else can't look at it and classify it as something else. You get genres from patterns and repetitions. We also use past responses to help us respond to present context. Genre also helps us to react appropriately to certain situation. For instance the we don't write legal documents in poems because that would be impractical.
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Sarah Medley
2/20/2017 11:45:10 am
Before this class I had not thought about genre as anything other than a relatively arbitrary means of categorizing different forms of media. The more I have thought about it though, the more I realize that genre is entirely subjective. Everyone prioritizes different aspects of the thing being analyzed and therefore, different opinions on the genre it belongs in can arise. Take for example, a band like Blink-182. To me, they are undeniably punk rock, but there are so many subgenres and highly specific categories that there is argument surrounding this issue. Some people say that because of the lighter guitar and the classic pop-punk setup of their songs, they belong in the genre of pop-punk and are not true “punk”. To me, this is weird, because pop-punk is treated like an entirely separate category while having the word “punk” in its title. Genre, to me, is a group of media that elicits the same or similar thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reactions. It is about what the listener feels while listening that determines the genre of the media, not the technical breakdown and analyzation of the thing. Genre is highly subjective, and everyone defines facets of media differently.
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