Explaining Genre Theory

Explaining Genre Theory

1. Defining genres

   • "Writing is socially constructed"
   • Genres shape our experiences and our experiences shape them.
   • Patterns in structure or recurrent situations
   • 4 Dimensions
     • The texts themselves
     • The composition of texts
     • How readers understand texts
     • Social roles and practices established

2. Genres are divided into

   • Social
     • Reflect social interactions
     • Intertextuality
       • Different genres create different relationships
     • Accepting or rejecting Roles
     • Manner more than laws
   • Rhetorical
     • Stability (mandatory choices)
     • Flexibility (Voluntary choices)
     • Options communicate purposes
       • Situations
       • Purpose
       • Timing
       • Audience
       • Culture
   • Dynamic
     • The genre shapes the context
     • Adaptation to situations
     • Participants interpretation alter discourses
     • Individual and contextual factors = change
   • Historical
     • New genres depend on previous ones
       • Abrupt genres
         • Depend more of previous genres than the context
     • New genres depend of wise choices
   • Situated
     • Smaller contexts or micro level
     • Differs from traditional views
     • creates roles and relationships
   • cultural
     • Macro level of context
     • Culture defines...
       • how genres are used
       • which genres are used
       • when genres are used
   • Ideological
     • Represents thoughts and world values
       • these correspond to specific situations
     • Carries social and political implications
     • Requires to be thaught critically

3. Genres are not...

   • primarly literary
   • entirely defined
   • fixed and immutable
   • classifiable into cathegories

4. Genre theories

   • Genre as text
     • Concrete
     • Formalist perspective
     • Prefers form over situations
     • Stable models
     • might ignore ideological implications
   • Genre as rhetoric
     • Emphasizes on social actions
       • A particular time
       • Particular situations
       • Particular desires
     • Textual features as sociorhetorical situations
   • Genre as practice
     • Focuses on genre interaction
     • Creates meanings
     • Focuses on actions genres enable
     • Ways of being rather than texts
   • Descriptive rather than prescriptive
   • They are plural

5. Theories in practice

   • Initial model
     • Examination of texts
     • Group imitation of text
     • Individual imitation of text
   • Revised model
     • Social context of the genre
     • Examination of the genre (or text)
     • Independent construction of texts
     • Critic of the genre