Genre: A category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content (Merriam-Webster). When we hear the term genre, we often view it as a system of categories in which content is limited to based on a series of features it exhibits. Although commonly mentioned when referring to film, music, and literature, genre can be used to categorize just about everything. “Based on our identification of genre, we make assumptions not only about the form but also about the text’s purposes, its subject matter, its writer, and its expected reader (Devitt pg. 3).” Genre can influence the manner in which we respond to a multitude of content. Despite the ancient beliefs on genre, writers are trying to revitalize the concept to fit a slightly different meaning.
Genre: A typified utterance that appears in a recurrent situation (Lisa Bickmore, GENRE in the WILD: Understanding Genre Within Rhetorical (Eco)systems). As I read further into Devitt’s text, I am coming to realize that genre is not a static concept. It is adaptable and evolves throughout the ages. Particular common responses to rhetorical situations may no longer be common in our era of being. Thus the “traits” of said genre evolve. We use prior responses towards genre to also determine the recurrent traits which will build the content’s framework. “If genre not only responds to but also constructs recurring situation, then genre must be a dynamic rather than static concept (Devitt 6).”
Understanding Rhetorical Genre Theory
As writers, we use bygone text as a basis to our own. Speech and language patterns also effect the way we view genre. It adapts and flows with time, connecting recurring situations in order for us to gather a better understanding of them. As we understand this new concept of genre, we better understand the writers and their work individually. It also allows for the clarification of text and develops general ideas on how we create the basis of our works. Comprehending the goals of the writer as well as the strategies they use help us better grasp to constructs supporting the genres. In order to create specific texts, we must first understand the recurrent situations from which they spawn.
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