The Shifting Definitions of Genre
Essays on Labeling Films, Television Shows and Media
Published on 7. April 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
268 pages
978-0-7864-3430-5 (ISBN)
Description
Histories of science fiction often dicuss Fritz Lang's Metropolis as a classic work within the genre--yet the term "science fiction" had not been invented at the time of the film's release. If the genre did not have a name, did it exist? Does retroactive assignment to a genre change our understanding of a film? Do films shift in meaning and status as the name of a genre changes meaning over time?
These provocative questions are at the heart of this book, whose thirteen essays examine the varying constructions of genre within film, television, and other entertainment media. Collectively, the authors argue that generic labels are largely irrelevant or even detrimental to the works to which they are applied.
Part One examines the meanings of genre and reveals how the media is involved in the production and dissemination of generic definitions. Part Two considers specific films (or groups of films) and their relationships within various categorizations. Part Three focuses on the closely tied concepts of history and memory as they relate to the perceptions of genre.
These provocative questions are at the heart of this book, whose thirteen essays examine the varying constructions of genre within film, television, and other entertainment media. Collectively, the authors argue that generic labels are largely irrelevant or even detrimental to the works to which they are applied.
Part One examines the meanings of genre and reveals how the media is involved in the production and dissemination of generic definitions. Part Two considers specific films (or groups of films) and their relationships within various categorizations. Part Three focuses on the closely tied concepts of history and memory as they relate to the perceptions of genre.
Reviews / Votes
"recommended"-Midwest Book Review.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
notes, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
443 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-3430-5 (9780786434305)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Lincoln Geraghty is principal lecturer in film studies in the School of Creative Arts, Film and Media at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. He serves as editorial advisor for The Journal of Popular Culture, Reconstruction and Atlantis. He is also the editor of The Influence of Star Trek on Television, Film and Culture (2008). Mark Jancovich is a professor of film and television studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich in the United Kingdom.
Content
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Generic Canons
Lincoln Geraghty and Mark Jancovich
PART ONE: INSTITUTIONS OF GENRE
1. Pale Shadows: Narrative Hierarchies in the Historiography of 1940s Horror
Mark Jancovich
2. The Independent Film Channel: Creating a Genre and Brand Across Small Screens, Big Screens, and the Virtual World
Liza Trevino
3. "Off-Beat" as a Generic Designation in Variety Reviews
Jason Scott
PART TWO: TEXTUAL NEGOTIATIONS
4. Film Noir as Male Melodrama: The Politics of Film Genre Labeling
Janet Staiger
5. Beyond the Valley of the Classical Hollywood Cinema: Rethinking the "Loathsome Film" of 1970
Harry M. Benshoff
6. Rethinking the History of European Horror: Television, La porta sul buio and Historias para no dormir
Andrew Willis
7. Can Rock Movies Be Musicals? The Case of This Is Spinal
Andrew Caine
8. "A Most Historic Period of Change": The Western, the Epic and Dances with Wolves
James Russell
9. "A Term Rather Too General to Be Helpful": Struggling with Genre in Reality
Su Holmes
PART THREE: HERITAGE, HISTORY AND MEMORY
10. Repackaging Generation One: Genre, Fandom, and The Transformers as Adult/Children's Television
Lincoln Geraghty
11. Subcultural Tastes, Genre Boundaries and Fan Canons Brigid Cherry
12. Monster Legacies: Memory, Technology and Horror History
Peter Hutchings
13. "Just Men in Tights": Rewriting Silver Age Comics in an Era of Multiplicity
Henry Jenkins
Notes on Contributors
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Generic Canons
Lincoln Geraghty and Mark Jancovich
PART ONE: INSTITUTIONS OF GENRE
1. Pale Shadows: Narrative Hierarchies in the Historiography of 1940s Horror
Mark Jancovich
2. The Independent Film Channel: Creating a Genre and Brand Across Small Screens, Big Screens, and the Virtual World
Liza Trevino
3. "Off-Beat" as a Generic Designation in Variety Reviews
Jason Scott
PART TWO: TEXTUAL NEGOTIATIONS
4. Film Noir as Male Melodrama: The Politics of Film Genre Labeling
Janet Staiger
5. Beyond the Valley of the Classical Hollywood Cinema: Rethinking the "Loathsome Film" of 1970
Harry M. Benshoff
6. Rethinking the History of European Horror: Television, La porta sul buio and Historias para no dormir
Andrew Willis
7. Can Rock Movies Be Musicals? The Case of This Is Spinal
Andrew Caine
8. "A Most Historic Period of Change": The Western, the Epic and Dances with Wolves
James Russell
9. "A Term Rather Too General to Be Helpful": Struggling with Genre in Reality
Su Holmes
PART THREE: HERITAGE, HISTORY AND MEMORY
10. Repackaging Generation One: Genre, Fandom, and The Transformers as Adult/Children's Television
Lincoln Geraghty
11. Subcultural Tastes, Genre Boundaries and Fan Canons Brigid Cherry
12. Monster Legacies: Memory, Technology and Horror History
Peter Hutchings
13. "Just Men in Tights": Rewriting Silver Age Comics in an Era of Multiplicity
Henry Jenkins
Notes on Contributors
Index