Journal 4

            Genre is such a vastly encompassing term, it is no surprise that it has been the topic of discussion in many essays with differing emphasis and views. According to Devitt, the genre of a piece is the product of many tiny decisions and conventions that come together to direct the piece’s purpose. A piece cannot be without a genre since it is inherent—even the decision to omit things is a convention, so even the plainest sheet of blank paper could be defined as having a specific genre. These decisions can have an impact on a reader, even to the most basic example of different colors eliciting different emotions.

            Each genre has a different purpose, and the conventions of each genre are tailored to best achieve the intended purposes of each genre. An effective resume would be lacking in bright colors, and would have a strategic layout of text with a readable font, for example. A personal blog would be more friendly and maneuverable, with designs to best represent the owner of the blog. Both examples have very different intended purposes, so the conventions of their genres conveys that.

            Conventions between genres sometimes overlap, and that can be used to the advantage of someone trying to make a piece intertextually relate to another piece. The best example I can think of is part of my project. The tweets on the official Welcome to Night Vale twitter follow the same language conventions as the actual podcast, making it seem to relate more effectively. The audience can pretend that the tweets come directly from the world created in the podcasts, and is thus brilliantly done.

            The choices made to determine genre can have a huge impact on not only the audience as individuals, but also as a mass. Large groups of people can alter the meaning of a piece just by how it is presented and represented over time. The advent of the Kindle, and other digital reading tablets, created a new sort of genre with new modes. The content of a book would stay the same regardless of whether it is in print or on the Kindle, but the way it is received would be different. Digital copies of the book may be easier to distribute, but having a tangible paper book will arguably always be a favorite among readers.