Journal 4

Genre is a fairly complex term with no concrete definition. It is a dynamic term that is crucial to both the development of creating, as well as the reception of a text. In order to fully understand genre, I personally feel it is important to understand its different components. Devitt provides a very detailed description of what creates a genre. To her, genre is an all-encompassing term that when analyzed closely, is made up of small, unique parts. Together, they make up the genres that many are familiar with today. Another important aspect to consider when exploring genre is Kairos. Miller emphasizes Kairos in her definition of genre. She sees genre as constantly evolving with the times. It is important to consider the context of a text when thinking about its genre.

Genre is a key aspect of the preparation and development of a text. When an author is creating a text, it is important for them to consider their desired audience. This ties into genre because the genre of a text is closely related to who will receive it. When initially creating a text, the author must consider who the text is for and how they can develop the text to appeal to this specific audience. For example, when writing a cover letter for a specific job, people will adjust the content of their letter to appeal to the job they are applying for. Someone might have a default cover letter they go to when applying for jobs, but they will usually adjust it to appeal to the audience of their letter. Genre can also be seen as a template for an author when creating a text. There are many different literary genres that people are familiar with; whether it be horror, fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, romance, etc. There are pre-defined characteristics of these genres that fans of them have come to expect/desire. The expectations the audience has; shapes the story and impacts the content that the author decides to include when creating a text.

Genre is also a tool that people use to categorize books. People use genre as a way to group similar texts together. Genre is a way for an audience to find texts that appeal to them. Whether it be as broad as a blog post, or as specific as a romance novel. How each of these texts are constructed impact the audience that they have.