The Concept of a Genre

In Amy J. Devitt’s “Generalizing about Genre: New Conceptions of an Old Concept”, Devitt discusses the idea that the concept of a genre is being reinterpreted in the fields of literary, linguistic, and rhetoric studies. She argues that the standard view or idea of a genre is outdated and it contradicts what is known about how the writing process works. The standard view uses a genre as a form that content is put into which can lead to a normalizing concept of what a genre is. Additionally this view can also make a genre seem more fitting for reading rather than writing. 

For Devitt genres do not limit choices but rather allow for them. Genres do not make texts, the individuals that write them do. A genre can influence a text but ultimately it is the writer’s actions and choices that influence the genre. When writers choose a genre they are choosing a situation to see, a way to form a perspective on the point they are making. When adding all of her theory elements together, Devitt states, “Genre is a dynamic response to and construction of recurring situations, one that changes historically and in different social groups, that adapts and grows as the social context changes… Genre is…a maker of meaning” (580). This resonates with me because she is right. A genre creates the meaning of a writer’s words and message. A writer can have the same motivation behind a piece of text but the genre they choose to write it under ultimately influences how it is left with the reader.