WR 121 Anderson: Working with Genres

When you go to a bookstore, online or in person, the books are grouped by type. The travel books are together, the personal finance books are somewhere else, the mysteries or romance novels may be apart from other fiction, and the kid's books have their own section. Each of these kinds of books is a different genre.

In WR 121, 'genre' includes more than different types of books. It means any writing that is done in specific situations for a specific purpose and intended audience, in a format that the reader is expecting. Here are some genres you might be familiar with:

• shopping list (the format is a list, the audience is the shopper, the situation that requires the writing is that the fridge is empty)
• resume (your name and address go at the top of the page, etc., the audience is potential employers, the situation that requires the writing is you wanting to get a job)
• product review (identify the what the product is, tell how you used it, the audience is other people considering this product, the purpose of your writing is to pass along your experience to other shoppers or maybe you have company sponsorship!)