Definition:
A category of artistic composition, as in film or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content. Adjective: generic.
Etymology:
From the Latin, "kind"Examples and Observations:
- "Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind."
(Nicholas Sparks, "How to Learn the Craft," 2002) - "When executed correctly, Hollywood genre films--inexpensive movies that honor cinematic rules instead of defying them and stick to carefully defined categories--have tended to snag more than enough viewers to justify their modest cost."
(Brooks Barnes, "Who Threw the DVD From the Train?" The New York Times, March 21, 2009) - "Genre, as many students of the subject have observed, functions much like a code of behavior established between the author and his reader. When we agree to attend a formal dinner, we tacitly accept the assumption that we will don the appropriate attire; the host in turn feels an obligation to serve a fairly elaborate meal and to accompany it with wine rather than, say, offering pizza and beer. Similarly, when we begin to read a detective novel, we agree to a willing suspension of disbelief."
(Heather Dubrow, Genre, Taylor & Francis, 1982)
Pronunciation: ZHAN-ruh
