Navigating Genres -- Do Genres Matter?

I think that it is safe to say that most people do not use the term genre unless they are referring to music or movies. In the field of composition however, understanding the term genre and how it affects the ultimate goal of a composition is important. In the article Navigating Genres, written by Kerry Kirk, many examples and definitions are used to describe the evolution and ways in which genres are used to create different types of compositions. According to Kirk, the word genre used to have a bad reputation, because it simply meant that writing was nothing more than a process of filling in the blanks depending on the genre. However, today that reputation does not seem to stick with most genre theorists.

According to Carolyn R. Miller, an English professor at North Carolina State University, genres are used in our everyday lives. Kirk uses Miller’s definition to describe how the modern description of genre can change not only our perception of what the word genre means, but also how to utilize different genres to our advantage.  Making it easier for us to understand, Kirk explains that “by studying genres that we find familiar, we can start to see how specific choices that writers make result in specific actions on the part of the readers.” He continues that “it only follows that our own writing must too be purposefully written.”

 Everything that we write or read follows a type of genre that was used to create a specific action on the part of the reader. For us students studying composition, this is important to recognize. Examples given in Miller’s explanation of genre include letters of recommendation, a user manual, progress report, ransom note, or lecture. All of these follow a certain type of genre and it is easy to see what kind of specific action the reader should have. With these as examples, it is easy to see that by using specific genres we evoke specific actions from our readers.

This brings me to the question, do genres matter? Before reading the article Navigating Genres, I would have said no. I would have continued to think that the word genre was meant only for movies and music. However, as Miller stated, and I agree, genres are in our everyday lives. They are important because they allow a writer to understand how to write a specific composition. Also, genres help us to create compositions that arouse a response from our reader. Understanding genres is about understanding a composition as a whole and recognizing how they function rhetorically. It is much more than just filling in the blanks.