LITR 4370 TRAGEDY Final Exam Samples 2015 (final exam assignment) Model Answers to Part 1. Finish Genre Definition

Part 1. Finish genre definition and example(s) from Midterms 1 & 2: Using Introduction to Genres page, redevelop, revise, and improve your "working definition" of your chosen genre in all three categories (Subject / Audience, Formal, Narrative) and use them to describe and analyze the genre  you began in Midterm1. Cite, explain, and analyze two or more examples of your genre from your reading, viewing, or listening experience and  and 2 research sources from course website or beyond. (total length: 6-8 paragraphs, 3+ double-spaced page equivalent)

Sarah Robin Roelse

“Oh! The Horror!”

          Genre.  When I think of genre, I automatically go back to my days of early college where I worked at Blockbuster, Inc., and each film had its place on the wall around the store or on these horrid shelves that we had to constantly keep re-alphabetizing: Children and Family, Comedy, Drama, Horror, and Action.  Genre, as a working definition, is very easily stated in that it gives humans a way of organizing material by the amount of consistency it has with other pieces of similar substance (art, music, film, animals, or even fashion).  While having genres does serve a purpose for means of cataloging bits of work, no piece fits into one singular classification (i.e. in Stephen King’s The Stand, the story falls into genres of science-fiction, horror, romance, and drama).  The genre that I am most attracted to is that of horror (which often resembles the romance), and while we haven’t seen much of it this semester, I feel that is worthy enough to speak of on my own.  The particular example that I will be explaining genre through will be Wes Craven’s Scream.
          The 1996 release of Wes Craven’s Scream was what many consider a great turning point in the history of horror; the movie was very popular due to the realistic depiction of a serial killer, rather than most horror movies which have creatures or the supernatural as the antagonist.  As a genre definition, Scream is classified as a special interest genre, rather than an audience based genre, because of its appeal to the masses (even if horror is not a genre that you list amongst your favorites, it still draws and appeals to both male and female viewers of a multitude of age ranges).  Scream is a drama or dialogue based film where the characters interact with each other, instead of breaking the fourth wall.  As for the classic list of genres (Tragedy, comedy, satire, and romance), Scream has elements of each of these main genres creating its DNA; for simplicity’s sake, the genres can easily be represented by two specific characters throughout the movie:  Sidney represents our tragic/romantic heroine and Randy represents comedic and satirical relief.
          Horror is a relatively new genre when we look at the big scheme of literary and theatrical development, it wasn’t until 1910 when our first movie monster, Frankenstein, appeared onscreen in America, from there horror’s success has been unyielding.  Even looking at a piece of literature as old as Agamemnon, there are speckles and inklings that can link us to the genre of horror—such as a wife murdering her husband (even though this action takes place off stage, there is that element of surprise, shock, and fear for what these actions will eventually bring, not to mention the spectacle and sound that the incident makes). Incorporating further reading that we’ve touched on throughout the semester, looking at Oedipus The King, the blind priest talks of a “disease [that] infects…and fills black Hades with groans and howls,” this is a beautiful picture of not only horror, but of the romantic genre as well, because it was entirely noble to cross the river Styx into the underworld for eternal rest; for horror’s sake, the image depicts a scene of pestilence that is quickly knocking out the people of Athens, a terrible fear for any community. Another example that exudes an enormous sense of horror is Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, a story where an unsuspecting man is buried alive inside of what is considered a catacomb or wine cellar; the horror here affects the reader’s psychological emotions and eludes to the idea of Nietzsche’s ideal spectator, where the reader can envision themselves being buried alive and makes them feel uneasy or on edge.  
          Generally, in literature, horror takes place in the narrator plus dialogue voice of fiction, meaning that there is a main character who speaks to the reader, but they also interact and engage with other characters in the story. For instance, in the aforementioned The Cask of Amontillado by Poe, the narrator does give “asides” to the reader, but also keeps a conversation with the other character throughout the short story.  In more classical literature, particularly from Grecian writers, the dialogue is between the audience and the narrator (chorus), while other characters on stage talk between themselves without acknowledging the audience – this is called the fourth wall, and we do see it in Agamemnon.  Horror type literature and horror films differ greatly in the aspect of which they are seen; in a horror movie, the representation is considered to be a drama, or dialogue, between multiple members of the movie, with no regard for the audience watching; for instance in Wes Craven’s Scream, the characters do not act as if someone is watching them from the outside, they are only concerned with what is happening in their own time and space.  
          Typically, when horror is thought of, one recalls images of bloodshed, overkill, mass-murderers, or Jason with his machete; there is a typical formula to many horror films pre-1996 (when the genre changed its game):  the African American (or “token” minority) will be the first one to be killed in the movie; the virgin is overall triumphant in staying alive (at least in the first installment); and the killer is “always going to come back for one last scare” (Williamson, 1996).  These particular characteristics of horror make it a special interest genre because there are elements which some people take offense to or simply do not enjoy. However, as Whitney Evans states in her essay, A Working Definition of the Vampire Genre, “[genres] are like a barbed wire fence: sharp and dangerous, but pliable and relenting”– in horror, as with any genre—there are pieces of work that defy the genre and its common characteristics.
          Horror, like any genre, does stem from the four major narrative genres:  tragedy, comedy, satire, and romanticism.  In every horror movie I have ever seen, and in every piece of horror literature that I have ever encountered, each of these categories has some sort of presence, even if just for a glimmer of time.  For instance, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the story itself is a tragedy; however there are humorous elements, such as the graveyard scene which is considered a comedic break from the nightmare of the play itself.  There is also a twinge of romanticism in the setting – a beautiful castle, where the Prince of Denmark eventually goes insane from the voices in his head (a touch of horror here, as many people do suffer from multiple personality  disorder or schizophrenia).  And, as someone who has seen, acted in, and directed various versions of Hamlet, there are differing times in the story which satire can be applied, a great example to watch this happen is via YouTube with a search for “Sassy Gay Friend Hamlet”.
          In recent filmography, we have had a pivotal point in horror (one that I am not particularly fond of, but hey, it is what it is) – that is, satirizing it with extreme elements of comedy (or what is thought of as comical), for instance, films such as Scary Movie, Cabin in the Woods, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.  These films have elements of horror in them, such as the supernatural, death, and murder (which can also classify them as romanticism), but writers go a step further and reach into the world of comedy to parody classic horror films; we also see this happening in current literature such as Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a very serious zombie rendition of the classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
          As a genre, horror can be broken down into many sub-genres that include vampires, zombies, werewolves, mass murderers, haunted houses, supernatural or paranormal activity, thrillers, psychological horror, teen horror, comedic horror, and even legends or folklore.  I feel like we don’t look into horror enough academically because it is seen as “evil” or “demented,” but in all reality, as someone who has experience in what the general public rents or goes to see in theaters, horror is at the top of the list because it makes the viewer react to the situations before them – we scream, jump, and run out of theaters because it makes us, as humans, feel alive and escape reality for an hour and a half or more – and after all, isn’t that what good literature and film are intended to do?