This chapter really changed my perspective on genres in writing. I think it's safe to say that most of us are only truly familiar with the few genres we are taught about in middle and high school. Before reading this chapter I knew that there were probably many more genres that I'd never heard about but now I see just how many there actually are. The amount of sub-genres are literally endless, as there are so many ways to classify a sub-genre. When I hear the word "genre" I automatically relate it to music and movies. Rap, pop, soul, comedies, dramas, etc. Now I realize this is actually a very close-minded way to view the word. Genres can pertain to anything from a film to the way you write a text to your best friend. In order to classify a piece of writing into a specific genre, many characteristics are accounted for. The style, audience, design, purpose, elements, and several other details are all taken into account when determining what genre something may or may not fall under.
Throughout chapter 1 of “The Bedford Book of Genres,” I learned that there are a variety of ways to improve one’s writing. Several writers tend to get carried away while writing that they forget who their audience is and what message they are trying to deliver. This is when one must ask themselves what their purpose of writing is, do they want to present a narrative/ tell a story, inform, or persuade. After figuring out ones purpose they must choose a genre to be able to shorten their idea and be concise. In order for this to occur one must know the basic qualities and agreed-upon rules about the genre they are composing. Once one makes those decisions they move on to the rhetorical situation which mainly explains the idea. This allows the writer to provide support on their purpose such as saying what is great about it or provide statistics, which will automatically make their writing more interesting for the audience to read, as well as, get t...
Reading from the text, we are exposed to the many ways genres can label a composition. When first hearing the word, genre I also just think about movies and music, but now we know it can pertain to any form of expression.
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