Genre Essay

Genre is a category of something that help us study texts and audience responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements. Industries use genre to sell a product to audiences. Media producers use familiar codes and conventions that very often make cultural references to their audiences knowledge of society.

Steve Neal Theory
In 1995 Neale stressed that genres are not systems, they are processes of systemization, i.e. dynamic and evolve over time. Traditionally, genres tended to be regarded as fixed forms, but contemporary theory emphasises that both their forms and functions are dynamic.

Jason Mittell Theory
In 2001 Mittell argued that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices as well.

Rick Altman Theory
In 1999 Altman argued that genre offered audience a set of pleasures. These pleasures included; emotional, visceral and intellectual.

Emotional is offered to audiences of genre films that are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response. Visceral is to do with the internal organs, it is a 'gut' response, defined by how the films stylistic construction elicits a physical effect upon its audience. Intellectual is to do with puzzles. Certain genres such as thriller often pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery. Pleasure from deciphering the plot and forecasting the end/being surprised by the unexpected.

David Buckingham Theory
This theory argued that genre is not simply "given".