Genre

by John Frow

Genre is a key means by which we categorize the many forms of literature and culture. But it is also much more than that: in talk and writing, in music and images, in film and television, genres actively generate and shape our knowledge of the world. Understanding genre as a dynamic process rather than a set of stable rules, this book explores:

*the relation of simple to complex genres
*the history of literary genre in theory
*the generic organisation of implied meanings
*the structuring of interpretation by genre
*the uses of genre in teaching.

John Frow’s lucid exploration of this fascinating concept will be essential reading for students of literary and cultural studies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Criticism, Theory, Writing, Academic, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2005

Reviews

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid theoretical view of the idea of genre and generic classing systems is offered here by John Frow. For those reading this who have no idea who John Frow is he is a professor at Melbourne University (which I do not attend by the way but could have if I'd wished). Either way this book is an insightful look into the theory of genre.

Frow's overall argument is that genre is not limited to merely looking at entertainment forms such as books, films or music items. He argues that genres and generic structures are interlinked with our various cultures and that as such different genres take on meaning in different contexts. But he also questions whether genres are set in concrete or whether they are fluid. He uses the example of a newspaper headline:

"RAPE CASE
JUDGE IN
NEW STORM"

When looked at this headline requires understanding of the context and therefore additional texts to understand. For instance you may need to understand that the judge referred to gave an earlier lenient sentence to a tried rapist. You may also need to understand the connotations of various words such as the fact that storm here is not referring to a literal storm but a metaphor for the outrage at the idea that the same judge is giving more lenient sentences.

There are also various suppositions imposed about the genre this headline belongs to. As part of an article it is therefore supposed that it is a factual and real-life story being explored rather than a novel with a fictitious judge. Although however in the context of a narrative this headline may become fictional and therefore will need to be understood differently.

Again Frow points out that were he to write:

"SCAPEGRACE
RAPE CASE
JUDGE IN
NEW STORM"

and that this was to appear "in an anthology of poetry" it would be called a poem. He therefore indicates that the genre which anything belongs to relies heavily on already known knowledge and context. That when similar ideas are placed in different contexts the genre they belong to may change.

He also discusses genres as taxonomical structures. He refers to them as a frame for understanding the world, that they provide a "horizon of expectations." He uses the example of shops as different genres. That when I go to a supermarket I expect to be able to buy different produce than at a delicatessen or a pharmacy. In the same way when I pick up a romance I have different expectations to a science fiction or fantasy novel and understand that novel within the context of its genre.

All in all Frow makes a convincing argument that genre is connected to culture, context and requires knowledge external to the genre itself to understand. In this way all texts are not bound to one genre but belong to one main genre, under which they may be part of a sub-genre (for example Dracula belongs to the horror genre and in particular the Gothic sub-genre). His idea that genres provide a "horizon of expectations" helps the reader to observe that generic structures are not limited to the artistic field but are culturally bound. It is also interesting to think of how context alters the way we perceive genre. In this way it is possible to see that the iconography of a text helps us to perceive which genre it belongs to. Fantasy novels have particular lands and characters that are different to sci-fi but perhaps if we were to add technology into The Lord of the Rings it may appear more as a sci-fi.

This is a very worthwhile discussion on genre if you are interested in analysing it and a convincing argument. John Frow certainly knows his area of expertise and makes many valid points about genre and most importantly allows the reader to think for themselves about the nature of genres.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I somehow decided this would be a good book to teach to my students, which is probably not entirely accurate. I think the book is, in places, a little too academic for classroom purposes-- there's a lot of building arguments from arguments made elsewhere and I think some of that might go right over my students' heads. And it's tricky stuff, this genre business.....

What I did is isolate three chapters-- three, five, and six-- that I think are most teachable, and while I'll review that decision this summer, that's where I'm at now. It's good that those chapters, and really, most of the chapters in the second half of the book are mostly more or less standalone. In my memory, you couldn't say that about the first two chapters, which were the toughest in the book for me to get through.

I think the intro makes claims for the reach of the book and the profound implications of genre that Frow never really lives up to. But on the other side of things, there's a really great glossary at the end that never gets mentioned everywhere that, from my cursory investigation, really does offer lucid and jargon-free explications of the language. I didn't even find it till I came to the end, but if you're reading the book, I think you might like to know it's there-- Frow's interests and reading is wide-ranging, and I think the glossary helps for following those areas of his argument where you might not be so strong.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never send an English Professor to do a Philosopher's job...(joke?)

In general, I felt like the analysis was superficial. Sufficient for an introductory or summary text. Good points, yes, but nothing stuck nor was anything novel added to the discussion about genre, in my humble opinion.

The author could have taken time to look at how contemporary philosophy has dealt with the notion of natural kinds. I believe this might (surprisingly) help assist or provide tools for a richer analysis of generic concepts. Instead, the predictable and drudging nods are made to Plato, Aristotle, Goethe, and Lewis. Though, I did like Frow's use of Gricean conversational implicature, or how he argues that generic concepts are employed to bolster necessary background knowledge for interpreting speech beyond cases of literal or referential meaning.

Of course, my bias comes out here...If I were more so acquainted with the appropriate backlog, or shared the same questions/concerns of Frow and what I suspect to be his intended audience-- English/lit. theory/critical theories/etc.--I might have been floored by this book. So, yeah, the problems I'm harping on are likely on me; I'm still looking for that book on genre that accommodates my specific questions and (dare I say) vindicates my already conceived suspicions about the matter. I'm a big fat jerk.

[Gunner Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Frow's Genre is one of the best introductions to an academic concept/field of study that I've read in some time. He manages to be easy to understand, while not giving the impression that he has oversimplified the complex ideas at play. Frow summarizes genre theory well, covering a wide range of critical approaches and mediums, everything from the novel to film to the internet. In addition to offering a concise summary of the field, Frow takes a step further and introduces his own new ideas and conclusions.

[Liisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm getting a master's degree in English and I still found this incredibly difficult to understand.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book’s central task is the reframing of the text-genre relationship, arguing that texts “do not ‘belong’ to genres but are, rather, uses of them” (2). Genres function by “mediat[ing] between a social situation” of a reader embedded in real and literary contexts, “and the text which realises certain features of this situation, or which responds strategically to its demands” (14). Rather than reading genre simply to categorize “where a text ‘belongs,’” Frow argues, “we read… for those layers of background knowledges that texts evoke” through their genre relationships, which allow an assessment of “which types of meaning are appropriate and relevant,” and therefore how the text can be made to make sense (101). Frow concludes that “what we learn, in ‘doing’ genre (in performing and transforming it) is the values we share or don’t share with others and the means with which to challenge or defend them” (144).

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was suggested to me that I read this book for work. In general, the discussions of specific texts were reasonably interesting and thought-provoking, but I struggled with the more general theoretical material, perhaps in part because I'm not sure I find the concept of genre as explored in this text to be a particularly useful one for my own interests.

[Jacob]

Boring? Yes. Important? Yes. Genre theory is extremely dry and theoretical (sometimes a solution searching for a problem to fix), and yet this book overhauled how I think about writing. I teach genre in a distilled version to my students because of this book.

[Dede · Rating 2 out of 5]

For class. Hate this book

[Virgowriter (Brad Windhauser)]

Lot of interesting info on understanding genres and how/why they work

[Phia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely more of a reference-guide than a book for reading in its entirety. Some points lack clarity or seem to later be contradicted.

[Benjamin De lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful introduction--but not sure how accurate it is for ancient or medieval literature.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. It lacked clarity...

[Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid reference for anyone looking to learn about genre theory. While the examples used are all textual, the theory Frow discusses can be used on just about anything that could be classified as a "genre." (In my case, for example, I think that Frow's conceptions can be useful for discussing music genres.)