Definition Essay - Genre - 1750 Words

Definition Essay – Genre Genre, in the most generic definition, takes the meaning kind; sort; style (OED). Prior to the terms inception, the notion of genre in the study of media emerged in The Poetics, with Aristotles discussion of the mode or manner of imitation in poetry. Of this Aristotle writes, the medium being the same, and the objects [of imitation] the same, the poet may imitate by narration - in which case he can either take another personality as Homer does, or speak in his own person, unchanged - or he may present all his characters as living and moving before us (Aristotle, 53). Here lies the distinction between epic, lyric, and drama, a distinction based solely in convention, the usage of the medium,†¦show more content†¦It is a French word imported directly into the English language, derived from the Latin genus (the stem is gener-), itself derived from the Greek genos (OED). Having evolved separately, the Greek word and the Greek idea converged. The Greek root-word, like its Latin relative, refers to a clan or race of people, or to offspring (Liddell Scott Lexicon). This sense of familial interconnectedness is essential to genre theory. Frye writes: It is clear that criticism cannot be a systematic study unless there is a quality in literature which enables it to be so. We have to adopt the hypothesis, then, that just as there is an order of nature behind the natural sciences, so literature is not a piled aggregate of works, but an order of words (Frye, 17). In conceiving of literature as a unified order of words, Frye requires a system of genres which will encompass the entire medium, expressing each the entire state of literature at a given moment, all its bloodlines. One might extend this idea of kinship to objects within any given medium, as in literature each novel bears a relation to other novels, or across several media, as a Western film may bear relation to a similar comic-book or radio drama. From this first approach, it makes more sense to think about genres in a medium or the genres of a medium, than to think of genre as a medium. Based on the questions raised in Aristotles discussion, one might assemble a definition of genre moreShow MoreRelatedResponse to Towards a Definition of Creative Nonfiction by Brett Lott761 Words   |  4 PagesIn his essay â€Å"Toward a Definition of Creative Nonfiction†, Brett Lott attempts to describe the genre of creative nonfiction by explaining that there is essentially no definitive model. He begins by presenting an abstract definition of the genre which he later molds and amends with additions to become a much more comprehensive working definition. 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Thence, it is derived from the complicated and mixed features of travel writing. Although the genre itself is important because it helps categorization, in this essay, I claim that travel writing cannot be defined as a genre while it is a comprehensive term for texts including fictionRead MoreHow Personal Responsibility Will Lead to My Success Essay1089 Words   |  5 Pagesto a better life for my family and me. Now as to my approach for this paper I am writing this essay according to The Descriptive Essay (2011), The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe an object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to paint an image that is vividRead MoreEssays994 Words   |  4 PagesThe five-paragraph essay Main article: Five paragraph essay Some students first exposure to the genre is the five paragraph essay, a highly structured form requiring an introduction presenting the thesis statement; three body paragraphs, each of which presents an idea to support the thesis together with supporting evidence and quotations; and a conclusion, which restates the thesis and summarizes the supporting points. The use of this format is controversial. Proponents argue th at it teaches studentsRead MoreTragedy : A Great Topic1061 Words   |  5 Pagesfor as in bodies, thus in souls, we find what wants in blood and spirit, swelled with wind: Pride, where Wit fails, steps in to our defence, and fills up all the mighty Void of sense.† (Page 702 Lines 1-10). This is a quote from Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism. Alexander Pope wrote poetry. His favorite topic was informative. In this poem the first fourteen lines are about pride, stanza two is about the lack of learning. He also talks about wit, judging a book by the cover, how hard it is to