Blog Post #5 Chapter One

In chapter one of the Bedford book of genres we explore the idea behind genre and how it plays an important role in how people perceive and analyze information. Genre plays a much deeper role than simply being a category or a simple description— drama, comedy, and tragedy. Even though they serve the purpose of being a category it underscores the reality genres have they are used everywhere in any such way creating a framework of thought that lets the audience know what is coming. Genres can be typical and been seen in many facets of entertainment with books such as crime novels or films set in a dystopian future. A genre is even a genre when they break the typical conventions its sets for itself. For Example, for a long-time horror and comedy where two different genres until they became one becoming a horror comedy.

The intended audience is important when it comes to genre because with many types of genre comes many different types of audience some may be large and widespread while others a small only having a cult like following. An interesting topic in chapter one was the concept of genre conventions and how some genres have a set of rules to abide by this can include the typical heroes story where the hero has to fall go through pain come back defeat the villain and live happily for the rest of his days. This device is employed not to hinder creativity but ensure that when creating something it is familiar. As human beings, we enjoy something new wrapped in something familiar that’s why mystery stories and dramas and comedies will never get old because they always have an audience and a formula. While most of the time these formulas are followed sometimes they are not and they spawn their own genre like earlier mention with a horror comedy. In today’s world genres pop up left and right with the advancement of technology take for example “shit girls say” that has become its own genre and many more are on the way.