Journal 4: Genre

Journal 4

Genre

Despite the differences between Devitt, Miller, and Shepherd, genre has an extremely important role in the composition of text. In order for a text to achieve what it is trying to express, there needs to be a specific structure and criteria to follow. Genre allows for a foundation of any particular written work. Each realm of text has it’s own requirements and expectations. For example, we assume to find chapters, middle binding, table of contents, front and back cover, etc inside of novels. The same way we expect an abundance of photos and cultural trends in fashion magazines.

Genre also gives writers guidelines for how to organize the text. The most interesting aspect of genre is that it is reflective of the social context relative to the time. There needs to be a universal agreement within a societies language for a genre to be known and established. An example of this is the novel and the codex.  Before the novel came into play, it was originally the ‘codex’. The codex was the main form of the written word in past civilizations.

Genre is what draws the audience in. It’s important to keep the audience in mind when working with a specific genre because certain types of genres have a target audience. Music, for example, highlights this because when we think of certain bands and music taste we attach images of the kinds of people we expect would be listening. Writers, musicians, and creators alike have the availability to take advantage of genre expectations in order to attract more members of the target audience. They are able to tailor their work in order to align with what their audience wants and demands in hopes of expanding their fan base and increasing reputability within the genre.

Audience and circulation of text go hand in hand. A text will be circulated if the development and it’s content are liked within the audience the text is targeting. Novels are at a higher advantage of being more circulated because it is mass-produced and published to be sold in libraries and bookstores. Blogs are less likely to be highly circulated because it is dependent on the audiences’ access to technology, the audiences frequency on social media, etc.