LITR 4370 TRAGEDY Midterm1 Samples 2017 (midterm1 assignment) Model Answers to Part 1. Genre definition and example(s)

1. Develop a "working definition" of genre & apply to any genre of your choice besides tragedy.

Authors & titles (alphabetical order; scroll down for essays):

Kimberrly Bronson, "Guts and Gore are Never a Bore"

Katie Morin, "Understanding Genre and its Relation to the Undead"

Clark Omo, "Defining the Fantastic"

Calyssa Rosene, "The Highs and Lows of Laughter"

Faron Samford, "What's the Alternative"

Kimberly Bronson

February 21, 2017

Guts and Gore Are Never a Bore

          We live in a world with a nearly unlimited number of options for just about everything, which can make it rather difficult to make decisions when it comes to certain things. If I went to the movie theatre right now, I would have to choose between about ten different films. When it comes to minor things such as this, I tend to have a hard time making decisions, so it helps to break it down by genre. Do I want a good laugh, an adrenaline rush, or a nice plot with gruesome visuals and a twisted dark side? The latter—widely known as horror, is usually my choice.

          Horror is a genre that is notorious for guts and gore, but it is also much more than that. There are different types of horror, as well. Some have plots set up like a mystery, but include some element of fear or danger. Some horror films are classified as “slasher films,” which are known for a villain (often seemingly immortal) chasing people around and slaying them. Over time, these films have shown an increasing amount of blood and gore. Sometimes horror focuses on the supernatural or paranormal. This is often the most realistic form of horror, as they typically contain realistic settings and characters who get plagued by some type of haunting or invasion. There are many different types of horror, but they all are made to frighten the audience. Shock and fear is what the audience seeks in this genre, and it can be quite satisfying to find a film or novel that succeeds in this.

Despite what you may think when upon learning this, horror usually falls under the category of romantic genres. This is not referring to the stereotypically attractive young woman seen running from an axe murderer in nearly every slasher film ever made. It is actually referring to the narrative genre, which is the type of story being told. Romance narratives are about a journey or quest, and often end with a transcendence, or a feeling of “things will only get better from here” (course site: Genres). Horror typically has a setup that includes dialogue between two or more characters. It is rare to have a narrator in horror.

There are many movies that may fall into multiple categories of genres. The term genre, according to the course website, is not meant to be exclusive or confining. Many films and books can fit into many different molds, which makes for a diverse and unique selection for consumers. If you like horror and action, many movies can be both. If you like comedy and horror, you will likely enjoy a parody of popular horror films. The beauty of genres is that you are never confined to just one specific type of movie or book. Whatever you are in the mood for, you will be able to find something that will be just right in that moment. While it is not concrete, genres help us narrow down and understand movies and books better.

Katie Morin

2/20/2017

Understanding Genre and Its Relation to the Undead

          In essence, the term “genre” is a means by which to categorize pieces of literature as well as other forms of art. Each genre comes with its own set of expectations and standards, and these precepts aid in the identification of a given work by a specific audience group. However, much like our course website states, there is no such thing as a “pure genre,” as “nearly all works of art and literature contain multiple dimensions or elements of other genres.” This is especially true of more specific topics, such as works belonging to the zombie genre. Because there is no standard story or plot-line to be found for zombie-related works, there is a great amount of variation to be seen, and it is not uncommon to come across zombie-related literature or cinematic representations which can also fall under the genres of tragedy, action/adventure, comedy, or even love stories.

          Zombie works of literature and other forms of media are unique in that they are so versatile and can appeal to many different audience groups. This is because this genre is marketed with a diverse audience base in mind, and as such, comes in the forms of romances, comedies, historical fiction, horror, and sci-fi, among others. Genres are versatile, and this mixing and matching of various categorizations ultimately creates a larger audience for any given work. In her midterm, “Genre-Related Distinctions Amongst Dystopian Novels,” Cassandra Parke explains that “genres are fluid and dynamic; they can change over time, or when viewed from different perspectives, they intertwine or overlap.” I found this to be particularly true when considering examples for various genres, as the more I examined a given work, the more I also realized how much it could fall under an entirely different genre as well, depending on the perspective from which I analyzed it. Thus, it would appear (at least in the beginning stages of my research) that zombie movies each fall under a wide array of genres. This was surprising as I initially associated zombie films with horror, but it would seem as if most do not solely fit into the horror genre at all. There is a great deal of overlap, much like Cassandra Parke states. 

Additionally, because of this broad range of genres and combinations of genres, zombie works are not necessarily restricted to a certain narrative voice, although an ongoing trend might be drama/dialogue, where characters interact with one another while the audience listens in. However, although seemingly less common, there are instances where the formal genre gravitates toward the more complex narrator plus dialogue, in which characters interact with one another while the audience looks on, but there are also instances where a narrator addresses the audience directly.

          An example of a zombie work featuring the narrator plus dialogue form can be seen in the 2009 movie, Zombieland. In it, the film’s protagonist frequently speaks to the audience directly, primarily in the form of voice-over narration. While the majority of the film is purely of the drama/dialogue form, occasionally the protagonist will offer a “helpful” hint for the viewer to survive the zombie apocalypse: “Rule number one for surviving Zombieland…Cardio.” These tips continues throughout the course of the film, and add a great deal of interest by engaging with the audience.

          Zombie films are also unique in that they can be applied to each of the four basic story lines (“narrative genres”): tragedy, comedy, romance, and satire. Romance, according to our course’s website, is defined as “a narrative, plot, or story of individual on a quest or mission, overcoming tests or trials to reach a transcendent goal” – love stories are included in this as well, but this narrative genre is incredibly broad and seemingly encompasses most works in some form or another, including the 2013 zombie film, World War Z.

In it, the story’s protagonist, played by Brad Pitt, sets out on a mission to quell the zombie plague that is quickly spreading across the globe. He hopes to find a remedy for the virus, and is able to successfully complete his mission and find a cure singlehandedly, managing to reunite his family and save humanity all at once. This is a prime example of the romance narrative, where our hero, Pitt, manages to overcome a seemingly endless strand of trials and tests, and achieves his “transcendent goal,” his happy ending. In the article, “How 'World War Z' Stands Up to the Zombie Film Genre,” author Tierney Sneed writes, “The fact that there was a happy ending differentiates World War Z from many zombie films.” Sneed goes on to quote Rob Weiner who states, “’A lot of zombie films end with the zombies winning or a couple survivors going off on their own…There isn't a sure resolution that works.’” The fact that World War Z manages to have a happy ending sets it apart from the rest, and this pleasant resolution follows the plot line of the romance genre.

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/06/27/how-world-war-z-stands-up-to-the-zombie-film-genre

Clark Omo

23 February 2017

Defining the Fantastic

Fantasy is a genre that deserves a definition. Loved by many and increasingly popular thanks to the advents of HBO’s Game of Thrones and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptions, Fantasy has become as much a staple of literary culture as any other genre. A highly adaptive genre, Fantasy has proven itself capable of tackling issues and trends that go beyond the settings where the tales unfold. Themes of divinity, history, war, mental struggle, and fate are rife throughout this genre. Brutal violence, cruelty, as well as honor and justice, are explored through the many realms that Fantasy genre encompasses as well. Though the application of the word ‘genre’ in this case, as it is with many other genre, serves as more of a tape measure than an actual chisel-to-stone, there are nonetheless trends, characteristics, and traits that many, if not nearly all, works that fall into the Fantasy framework exhibit. Such is especially true when it comes to history and mythology and setting. Many of the works that define Fantasy show these physiognomies, and so set the Fantasy genre apart into its own, singular realm, while at the same time still falling within definable limits of Narrative, Form, and Subject.

History seems to be one of the more important parts of creating a work that is thoroughly fantasy, especially when it is termed a “Created” history. One does not have to look far into this genre to find example after example, perhaps the most famous being J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. As the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings demonstrate, history was of vital importance to the creation of this world. As Appendix B reads, “These were the dark years for Men of Middle-earth, but the years of the glory Numenor.” (1057) By this line alone, one can tell how important the use of historical record was to the generation of Tolkien’s world. The history records the “glory” of past times and peoples, which is one of history’s essential purposes in our own world. George R.R. Martin also makes use of this adaption of history. As Martin himself said, “British history has played an enormous impact on Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire. The Wars of the Roses are probably the single biggest influence. I’ve drawn from French history, and Scottish history, and other things, but at the center of it all is the Wars of the Roses.” (Brown, n.pg.). Like Tolkien, Martin has infused a history into the world of A Song of Ice and Fire as much like there is one for Middle-earth. Catelyn Stark even muses on the history of her land in Game of Thrones when standing before Winterfell’s weirwood: “They were old, those eyes; older than Winterfell itself. They had seen Brandon the Builder set the first stone…” (Martin, 23). History forms the foundations of many fantasy worlds, and though the intricacy and depth may vary from work to work (and thus world to world), Fantasy as a genre depends on it.

With this characteristic of the genre, set, it speaks of the Form and the Subject that this genre bespeak. In terms of Narrative, the usual trend for Fantasy has leaned towards use of the third person, usually with a highly omniscient narrator that possesses intimate knowledge of the history and world that the characters inhabit. Such is true in Lord of the Rings, where time and time again J.R.R. Tolkien makes references and allusions to his own constructed histories and mythology. Martin does the same thing, as can be seen in the example previously used where he inserts “Brandon the Builder” into the scene. This in turn speaks to what kind of audience that the Fantasy genre appeals to. With all this attention to detail and history, along with the significant challenge of maintaining fluidic consistency, a mature mind is best suited for understanding the tales of the genre. Yet at the same time, the use of magic and myth that is prevalent in this genre asserts a pleasure for good storytelling through the use of imagination. So, although a mind that possesses a taste for history and detail may find pleasure in fantasy, those wishing to find a good story may also find it here as well.

Myth is another major force that compels the Fantasy genre into its own realm. And perhaps the best example of this is none other than J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien’s use of myth in the construction of his world is well known, not just his use of “’Northern’” myth, as Newman says (231), but also of the classical, which Newman also explores in his article. One does not have to look far to find constantly recurring examples of myth used in Fantasy. Steven Erikson, George R.R. Martin, and even Joe Abercrombie are just a few examples. While some may not have a full-fledged pantheon such as Lord Dunsany in his The Gods of Pegana, the use of faeries, spirits, and even magic all attest to the mythical roots from which Fantasy stems.

And with this use of myth, the last aspect of Fantasy’s definition can be set: its kind of story. It is a thorough blend of many. The Lord of the Rings was deemed by Tolkien as a “eucatastrophe”, a story where the conditions rapidly decline into utter despair yet reach magnificent victory at the end. Tragedy itself could be seen in that alone, yet along with Comedy. The ending, though reached through dire circumstance and events, still was good. And Romance can also be seen, especially in The Lord of the Rings, where Frodo struggles to destroy the One Ring and achieves release from this world by sailing to the Undying Lands. And Tragedy rears its head again, perhaps the most strongly, in works by George R.R. Martin where many of the heroes, such as Eddard Stark, reach tragic ends due to a single flaw.

If anything, Fantasy proves itself as a highly flexible genre. It can take on the Tragic, the Comedic, the Romantic, and blends of all of the above, while maintaining its core values in regards to Myth and History. It most often approaches the story with a narrator that knows all and sees all, though there are exceptions. And its audience can be those wishing to lose themselves in the history of another world, or simply wishing to enjoy a tale that stretches the imagination. Fantasy is a truly remarkable genre that can explore many realms of the imagination, while maintaining its roots in active storytelling. It can assault themes pertinent to the modern days, while using constructed history and myth to do it. Such mechanics speak to the versatility and flexibility of Fantasy’s range of imaginative stories. And that perhaps is the most essential characteristic of Fantasy: its use of the imagination.

Works Cited

Brown, Brigid. “5 British Historical Ties to ‘GoT’ in George R.R. Martin’s Own Words.” BBC America: Anglophenia, New Video Channel America, LLC. http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/04/5-british-historical-ties-to-got-in-george-r-r-martins-own-words. Accessed 23 February 2017.

Martin, George R.R. Game of Thrones. Bantam Books, 1996.

Newman, J.K. “J.R.R. Tolkien's ‘The Lord of the Rings’: A Classical Perspective.” Illinois Classical Studies, vol. 30, 2005, pp. 229–247., www.jstor.org/stable/23065305. JSTOR. Accessed 23 February 2017.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.

Calyssa Rosene

12 February 2017

The Highs and Lows of Laughter

The subject of genre covers an entire realm of entertainment from books to movies and even music, and simplifies them into known categories. If someone asks me what my favorite genre is, I can easily reply with comedy and they will know that I enjoy amusing acts and literature. However, there are different types of comedy broken down into subcategories of genre itself. According to Dr. White, “Genre is a flexible and adaptable term or concept”, and there are tons of different combinations and possibilities of genres. In terms of comedy, there can be high and low comedy, romantic comedy, tragicomedy, and more. The first example that comes to mind in terms of comedy is the TV series “The Office”, due to its incorporation of different kinds of comedic interests.

First we can focus on the subject/audience genre which according to Dr. White is “genre as most people understand it”. This is where the work is labeled into something the audience can easily identify such as horror, chick flicks, romantic comedy, or even drama. If you break down the comedic ingredients of The Office, you have a mix of everything, but the audience would determine more often than not that it’s a romantic comedy series. There is a mixture of high comedy and low comedy characters. For example, Dwight Schrute, one of the main characters, is an interesting looking man who tends to be very overdramatic and full of himself, which often causes problems in his life and for his fellow characters. Most of the main characters are considered low comedy characters while many of the secondary characters are high comedy and showcase how ridiculous most of the main characters can be.

Next we can look at the formal genre in which how the work is portrayed to the audience. The Office is definitely a narrator and dialogue formal genre, which is when “two or more characters speak with each other while a narrator speaks directly to the audience” (Introduction to Genres handout). The characters all have dialogue with one another in a series of events and scenes that seem too ridiculous even to be fictional. However, the camera also cuts to the characters talking solo into the camera in a “video diary” style directly to the audience about what is happening in their lives and around them, breaking the fourth wall in the series. This connects the audience to the characters by making them feel like they are a part of the show and everything happening within it. It keeps the audience hooked because they feel as though they are a part of the madness.

The final area to focus on is that of narrative genre, which according to the introduction to genres page on the course site, “refers to the type of story or plot that a work of literature tells or enacts”. In this case, the narrative genre is simply comedy. According to the Aristotle’s poetics handout, “Comedy is an imitation of characters of a lower type. It consists in some defect or ugliness which is not painful or destructive. The comic mask is ugly and distorted, but does not imply pain.” In terms of this, the mask or rather the character is ugly and distorted, but this doesn’t signify that the characters is of tragic circumstances or going through something that is detrimental to their health or survival in any way, shape, or form. In The Office many of the main characters wear this metaphorical mask of distorted view, but at the end of the day whatever problems they face come to a halt and they are all reunited in their workplace to reflect on what has happened in their daily lives with the audience.

Faron Samford

What’s the Alternative?

          Genres are used casually in popular culture, as shortcuts by the audience to give them an idea of what the work will be about before they’ve seen the first image or read the first word. Dr. White sums this use of the term genre on his Introductions to Genre webpage “as a contract with the audience” that gives the audience an idea of what elements they can expect (Course website’s “Genre” page). This is no exact science by any means because very few stories fit neatly into one box. In literary terms, genre can be used to categorize works using three main categories; subject/audience identification, formal genre, and narrative.  

          The pop culture usage of the term genre is most closely associated with the subject/audience identification categorization of literary genres, because it “makes the connection between the subject of a genre and its audience” (Course website’s “Genre” page). The alternative futures genre, and its subgenre of alternative history, let the audience know that they are about to embark on a favorite pastime of humans, wondering “what if?” A large part of the historical fiction genre is using that “what if?” concept to create a setting in which to present what would be another genre of story based on the narrative genre categorization. The Two Georges, by Harry Turtledove and Richard Dreyfuss, is a police drama set in an alternative history world that would also attract audiences that are interested in police dramas, and historical fiction. Told in a formal genre style, the story is based around the theft of a painting called The Two Georges, which depicts the signing of a treaty that kept the revolutionary war from happening. The Man in The High Castle, a television show on Amazon, is based on the alternative history “what if” where Germany and Japan defeat the United States in World War II, and focuses on the resistance movement in this alternative nineteen sixties America. With the plot based around the resistance, the show would also appeal to fans of spy story genre.

          The formal genre style, or “the form in which the text appears; specifically, the types and numbers of ‘voices’ that present the genre,” varies among works of historical fiction. Man in the High Castle is presented in the form of drama, where the characters are interacting with each other and exchanging dialogue while the audience watches and hears.

Both of these examples would fall under the narrative genre of romance, incorporating a physical journey through this alternative world. The Two Georges is an adventurous journey through this alternative America pursing the thieves of the painting, and trying to stop the terrorists. In the end, the painting is recovered, the terrorists have been foiled, and the hero has saved the day and been knighted. The Man in the High Castle follows the romantic journey of the characters for the search for the source of movies indicating the past of our world. The characters are motivated by “a vision of transcendent grace” as they search for the meaning of the movies in which they’ve spied a world with our history, where they are free from living under the Nazis and Japanese.