The Definition of Genre ep.1
The Definition of, er, Genre
This is the first episode, er, article of a maybe ongoing series of pieces about various genres in media, how to recognize them, core tropes, and more. Shout out to TvTropes and OverlySarcasticProductions as well as many others that I will no doubt reference over the course of this series, should I actually manage to continue it.
Let’s begin with genre itself. Originating from the language of croissants and overthrowing monarchies, “genre” is a French word translating to “a kind of.” Merriam-Webster defines genre as “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.” So, genre is essentially a thing, but a specific kind of thing.
Many people feel as though they can’t recognize specific genres, however, we all maintain the ability to notice patterns and recurring themes in what we enjoy. The human brain naturally notices patterns which has helped us survive for centuries. For example, if you like Street Fighter, you may not know the term “2D fighting game”, but you will notice key elements such as health bars, side by side combat, combos, etc. If one person stated they loved 2D fighting games, they probably wouldn’t be excited if handed a copy of The Witcher 3. Said person would have trouble recognizing key feature of such a game, but they would notice that it’s not like the game they enjoyed in the past.
Now, some might ask, “Rabbit, why does genre even matter? Why can’t I just like the things I like?” The answer is simple: labels and categories in media help us find more media we enjoy. Going back to the Street Fighter reference. If we didn’t categorize Street Fighter as a fighting game, the act of finding new media would be incredibly time consuming. One would have to test every game and watch hundreds of streams before finally running across Mortal Kombat or Guilty Gear. Because of genre, one can simply do a search for fighting games and find what they’re looking for.
Many argue that labels are mostly limiting and convince writers and developers to work within a specific framework. Labels aren’t intrinsically bad, and it’s also fairly common for a piece of media to fit multiple genres at once. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a comedy, romance, action flick, and comic book movie at the same time. The problem originates when writers look at genre before they look at the content and context of their work. They begin writing within a framework before developing plot or characters. Genre is a tool for the producers and consumers. Producers can sell the product more easily if they know the framework of the story and consumers can find more to, well, consume. While writers can use genre to have a greater understanding of their project, it is not the end all be all.
Now, one cannot talk about genre without bringing up subgenre. Subgenre is an even more specific categorization. Some genres become so big that simply calling it by name is hardly enough. For example, fantasy is such a widespread genre that it encapsulates just about all media we consume. In order to remedy this, we created urban fantasy, high fantasy, low fantasy, and science fantasy. Other subgenres appear when a given genre is experimented with to the point where is only partially fits the core meaning. Pop punk is a prime example as it is punk music, but with pop sensibilities and is often radio friendly. Finally, some subgenres appear when a combination of two separate genres are so ubiquitous that they become unique. Romance and comedy are quite different from one another, however they’re presented together all the time to the point that it’s unique.
Sometimes, we run into the issue of getting two similar genres confused. One common one is science fantasy and science fiction. In the future, we can emphasize the difference between genres that seem similar on a surface level.
So, in short, genre is simply a kind of thing. Some things need to be more specific in the kind of thing they are, so subgenres are a thing. When we really delve into individual genres, we’ll often notice both surface level aspects as well as deeper, more nuanced features. Genres aren’t bad. They’re tools used to help us categorize and sell our products more directly. Like tropes, genre is just a tool. Sleep tight.
