LITR 4370 TRAGEDY Midterm2 Samples 2015 (midterm2 assignment) Model Answers to Part 1. Genre Definition 2.

Part 1. Continue genre definition and example(s) from Midterm1: Using the Introduction to Genres page, redevelop / revise and extend your "working definition" of genre in all three categories (Subject / Audience, Formal, Narrative) and use them to analyze the genre of your choice 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)

Kaitlin Jaschek

Genre: Where Invisible Lines Cross

            Humans’ brains unconsciously categorize all aspects of the world around them to help better understand and reduce the complexity of the world.  Art is no exception.  Genre is a way to categorize art whether literature, film, music, or theatre. 

Specifically in literature, genre can be classified into three broad, non-exclusive categories which are: subject or audience, form, and narrative (Mr. White’s Website).  The key word is non-exclusive, meaning these three categories can overlap, coexist with one another, or stand alone.  In other words, all literature consists of these three broad categories; however, some types of literature can be categorized by using just one of these categories to describe it.  For example, subject or audience is the simplest and most common way to classify literature and art (Mr. White’s Website) by allowing one to picture what the literature will be about by using the words “mystery novel”.  Another example and commonly used would be “chick flick,” which suggests the literature or art will have subject matters that attract an audience of woman such as love, friendships, or family.  These short remarks can easily categorize a piece of literature or art without even mentioning the other two categories, form and narrative; though the literature still has a form and narrative.  Let’s explore the three subcategories as I explain in more depth.

 Subject or audience, as briefly mentioned above, is a way to inform people of what the novel or play will be about, in addition to giving a good idea of what type of audience it may appeal.  It refers to the content, special interest, or subject matter as well as “audience appeal” of a text (Mr. White’s Website).  When defining the art of literature in regards to subject or audience, in simplicity are the answers to the common questions, “What kind of book is that?” or “What are you reading about?” Subject and audience are the most obvious ways to classify literature, yet, its terms may serve more for convenient reference than intensive analysis, whereas form and narrative provide more academic prestige due to the recurrent but variable patterns working across various texts regardless of subject or content (Mr. White’s Website).

Form, the second subcategory, is the type(s) and number(s) of “voices” involved within the genre, or the “form” in which the text appears.  There are three different types of form in which voices can be heard or read which are: Narrator or “Single Voice”, Drama or Dialogue, and/or Narrator plus Dialogue.  Narrator or “Single Voice” is when one speaker or voice is speaking directly to the audience.  An example would be Dr. Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream (1963) speech- as he was one voice speaking at the podium to a direct audience.  Drama or Dialogue is when two or more characters are speaking directly to each other while the audience overhears.  This form is very common in plays or movies, yet are used in many books as well.  An example of this form throughout a play would be “Oedipus the King” as the audience view from an outside perspective directly watching or reading the dialogue between one another.  Narrator plus Dialogue is when two or more characters speak with each other while a narrator speaks directly to the audience (Mr. White’s Website).  This form is more common in novels, movies and/or television shows; however, I believe this form is common in many plays as well because there are several plays such as Agamemnon that offer dialogue between characters, but also provide a chorus which is like a narrator that offers the audience more information and directly speaks to them.  Although there are these three different types of forms, it is possible that within a piece of literature the text may shift from one formal genre to another (Mr. White’s Website), which I believe shows through several plays we have read thus far.    

 Lastly, narrative is the type of story or plot told or acted.  Each genre has its own narrative or message it is trying to communicate to its audience.  In literature there are four basic narrative genres or story lines, which consist of: tragedy, comedy, romance, and satire.  Although genres categorize, there are no pure genres; therefore, “works often [straddle] between two or more genres at different points” (Scott Agruso).  These four basic narratives throughout literature show that genres can cross lines.  For example, the Oresteia trilogy, which would be classified in the tragedy genre due the “noble” characters and the imitate actions which excite pity and fear (Aristotle Poetics VI 6D), yet includes in Agamemnon a comedic monologue spoken by the watchmen whom is a “lower type” character.  The combination of an overall tragedy with hints of comedy is displayed throughout the Agamemnon dialogue, and is common throughout genres. 

            Romantic Comedy, is another way that narratives can come together by combining romance and comedy within literature or film.  Romantic Comedy, although men can enjoy, has a specific audience directed towards women.  With that being said, the subject is normally those that appeal to women.  Although Romance movies and literature receive the title “chick-flicks” more often, Romantic Comedy can also be referred to as “chick-flicks” making it easy to categorize by subject and audience.  However, it is the addition of Comedy that separates Romance from Romantic Comedy, making the literature or art enjoyable to men because despite the subject matter is directed more to woman, the laughter or comedy aspect can appeal to men.  The form of Romantic Comedies are normally drama or dialogue- in which two or more characters speak directly with each other, which the audience overhears (Mr. White’s Website).  Lastly, due to the narrative of romance and comedy (the plot and story line) they offer a combined mixture between the two.  Romantic Comedies traditionally don't tackle as harsh subjects as Dramas or other Romantic films since they incorporate the Comedy aspects; however, they do combat subjects such as heart break or infidelity.  This genre can include dramatic film aspects, such as: cliff hangers at peak dramatic points, a lot of peaking moments where the emotion is quite intense, relatable characters, realistic storylines, relationships between characters, personal transformations or a journey across class lines and a big ending.  This particular genre usually ends with either a restoration of unity or a “live happily ever after” conclusion (Mr. White’s Website).

I personally love romantic comedies whether in novels or films.  I couldn’t agree more with Fariha Khalil as she stated that she enjoys “reading genres that overlap, because it gives the work a little twist… Instead of just watching a plain comedy or a plain tragedy, this keeps the audience on the edge of their seat” (Student, Spring 2015).  A perfect example of a Romantic Comedy is the film Pretty Women (1990).  According to TheAtlantic.com regarding Pretty Women (1990) states, “the film's rom-comic context, a joke that is doing double work: Vivian, we are meant to understand, is a particularly wholesome kind of prostitute. Not only does she stay away from drugs; she is healthy to the point of a comical obsession with the prevention of gingivitis. She is, partly because of that, a fitting foil for Edward.”  In addition, this movie shows the ability to cross social classes and ends with the love scene of Edward riding up in a limo with flowers as Vivian’s head is peeping outside her window smiling; providing the “happily ever after” ending.         

It is also important to note that genre is not only a way to categorize, it’s a way to communicate to the audience what they can expect from the literature or art.  It is a reliable contract between the work of art and the audience that implies if you are coming to watch this comedy, the audience can expect to laugh.  The “contract with the audience” guarantees standard features, fulfills norms, or expectations in style and tone (Mr. White’s Website).  Without genres there would not be a way to discern whether a play or book is appropriate for young children or for those sensitive to certain types of plays or books such as the horror genre.  As a mother and person who is sensitive to violence and horror, genres protect and help me select what I can and would enjoy to read or watch.