Genre Analysis PDF

## Genre 3 Genres are kinds of writing. Letters, profiles, reports, position papers, poems, blog posts, instructions, parodies - even jokes - are genres. For example, here is the beginning of a PROFILE of a mechanic who repairs a specific kind of automobile: Her business card reads Shirley Barnes,...

## Genre 3 Genres are kinds of writing. Letters, profiles, reports, position papers, poems, blog posts, instructions, parodies - even jokes - are genres. For example, here is the beginning of a PROFILE of a mechanic who repairs a specific kind of automobile: Her business card reads Shirley Barnes, M.D., and she's a doctor, all right - a Metropolitan Doctor. Her passion is the Nash Metropolitan, the little car produced by Austin of England for American Motors between 1954 and 1962. Barnes is a legend among southern California Met lovers - an icon, a beacon, and a font of useful knowledge and freely offered opinions. A profile offers a written portrait of someone or something that informs and sometimes entertains, often examining its subject from a particular angle - in this case, as a female mechanic who fixes Nash Metropolitans. While the language in this example is informal and lively ("she's a doctor, all right"), the focus is on the subject, Shirley Barnes, "M.D." If this same excerpt were presented as a poem, however, the new genre would change our reading: Her business card reads Shirley Barnes, M.D., and she's a doctor, all right -a Metropolitan Doctor. Her passion is the Nash Metropolitan, the little car produced by Austin of England for American Motors between 1954 and 1962. Barnes is a legend among southern California Met lovers - an icon, a beacon, and a font of useful knowledge and freely offered opinions. The content hasn't changed, but the different presentation invites us to read not only to learn about Shirley Barnes but also to explore the significance of the words and phrases on each line, to read for deeper meaning and greater appreciation of language. The genre thus determines how we read and how we interpret what we read. Genres help us write by establishing features for conveying certain kinds of content. They give readers clues about what sort of information they're likely to find and so help them figure out how to read ("This article begins with an abstract, so it's probably a scholarly source" or "Thank goodness! I found the instructions for editing videos on my phone"). At the same time, writers sometimes challenge genre conventions, reshaping them as communicative needs and technologies change. For example, computers have enabled us to add audio and video content to texts that once could appear only on paper. ### Identifying Your Genre Does your writing situation call for a certain GENRE? A memo? A report? A proposal? A letter? Academic assignments generally specify the genre ("take a position," "analyze the text"), but if not, see Chapter 21 for help CHOOSING GENRES or ask your instructor. ### Thinking About Genre * **What is your genre?** How does it affect what content you can *or should* include? Objective information? Researched source material? Your own opinions? Personal experience? * **Does your genre call for any specific STRATEGIES?** Profiles, for example, usually include some narration; LAB REPORTS often explain a process. * **Does your genre require a certain organization?** Most PROPOSALS, for instance, first identify a problem and then offer a solution. Some genres leave room for choice. Business letters delivering good news might be organized differently than those making sales pitches. * **Does your genre affect your tone?** An abstract of a scholarly paper calls for a different TONE than a memoir. Should your words sound serious and scholarly? Brisk and to the point? Objective? Opinionated? Sometimes your genre affects the way you communicate your STANCE. * **Does the genre require formal (or informal) language?** A letter to the mother of a friend asking for a summer job in her bookstore calls for more formal language than does an email to the friend thanking him for the lead. * **Do you have a choice of medium?** Some genres call for print; others for an electronic medium. Sometimes you have a choice: a résumé, for instance, can be printed to bring to an interview, or it may be emailed. Some teachers want reports turned in on paper; others prefer that they be emailed or posted in the class course management system. If you're not sure what MEDIUM you can use, ask. * **Does your genre have any design requirements?** Some genres call for paragraphs; others require lists. Some require certain kinds of fonts - you wouldn't use Impact for a personal narrative, nor would you likely use Chiller for an invitation to Grandma's sixty-fifth birthday party. Different genres call for different DESIGN elements.