Chapter 2: Decoding Genre
Genre
What do you think of when you hear the word genre? Types of movies? Thrillers, sci-fi, mystery? Or perhaps you think of different categories of music like hip hop, K Pop or heavy metal. It’s true, these are all genres.
But, we can also expand our thinking about the word “genre” to refer to a shared understanding between writers and readers about how to respond to a situation or context. When we think about genre in this way, the term can include thank you letters, real estate ads, Instagram posts and, you guessed it, academic writing.
The situations you find yourself in give you clues about what genre you should use to respond to them. You’re probably not going to write your next Instagram post with the same language, tone and style as your next academic research paper (unless you are doing it for a strategic reason!). You might also want to reconsider writing a message to your professor about why you missed class as if you’re writing a DM to your best friend. In both of these scenarios, you will likely choose the genre that responds to the situation.
Read the following letter and respond to the questions
Dear Willow Tree Outside the Botanical Gardens,
I’ve missed you very much, my love. I’ve missed the way your body curves, the way you move and dance like a free-spirited hippie. I’ve known you so long, it’s like we grew up together. Like as I learned to walk, you let me walk and play under your canopy. And as I grew, you let me sit and climb on your branches. My whole family loves you. J and I used to climb on your branches together, him higher than me as he is braver and much less afraid of heights. I miss seeing you at our spot, right outside the offices of the botanical gardens where we met and fell in love. You are as gorgeous now as you were then, your dangling leaves like the most beautiful hair draped around you. I hope you miss me as I miss you, and I’m sorry I had to leave you behind. I will never forget you.
Love always and forever,
Me.
- What is this genre?
- What is the situation that gave rise to it?
- What are the formal conventions of this genre that we may understand and share as readers and writers?
Media Attributions
- tree-984846_1920 © yummymoon is licensed under a Public Domain license
A shared understanding between writers and readers about how to respond to a situation or context. Genre = situation + form.
Tone refers to the writer's voice in a written work. It is what the reader or hearer might perceive as the writer's attitude, bias, or personality. Many academic writers mistake a scholarly tone for dull, boring language or a mixture of jargon and multisyllabic, "intelligent-sounding" words. Academic writing, however, does not need to be complicated nor lacking in style (see APA 7, Section 4.7); instead, it can be both engaging and clear. (Walden University Writing Centre)
