Generic Criticism
Generic Criticism
What is Generic Criticism? * Foss (2009) defines generic criticism as “the assumption that certain types of situations provoke similar needs and expectations” (p. 137). * According to Oliver and Duff (2012), “Genre can be defines as a pattern of communication that conforms to community norms. Genres are not fixed, but are constantly evolving and emerging.” (p. 373) * According to Northrop Frye, genre studies are not just about classification, he believes that "the purpose of criticism by genres is not so much to classify as to clarify. . . traditions and affinities, thereby bringing out a large number of relationships that would not be noticed as long as there were no context established for them." (Measell, 1976, p.1)
What elements make up a rhetorical genre? * The first element is a situational requirement which calls for a specific type of response. * The second element is made up of substantive and stylistic characteristics which make up the content and form of the rhetoric deliver by the rhetor. * The last element is the organizing principle which Foss describes as “the label for the internal dynamic of the constellation that is formed by the sustentative stylistic, and situational features of the genre. (Foss, 2009, p. 137-138)
Important Theorists * Edwin Black
Black proposed the following: 1. “There is a limited is a limited number of situations in which a rhetor can find himself.” 2. “There is a limited number of ways in which a rhetor can and will respond rhetorically to any given situation type.” 3. “The recurrence of a given situational type through history will provide a critic with information on the rhetorical responses available in that situation” (Foss, 2009, p. 138). * Lloyd F. Bitzer The focus of Bitzer’s study was on recurring situations. According to Benoit (2000), he “explicitly rejected other influences on the production of rhetorical discourse” (p.179). His belief was that
What is Generic Criticism? * Foss (2009) defines generic criticism as “the assumption that certain types of situations provoke similar needs and expectations” (p. 137). * According to Oliver and Duff (2012), “Genre can be defines as a pattern of communication that conforms to community norms. Genres are not fixed, but are constantly evolving and emerging.” (p. 373) * According to Northrop Frye, genre studies are not just about classification, he believes that "the purpose of criticism by genres is not so much to classify as to clarify. . . traditions and affinities, thereby bringing out a large number of relationships that would not be noticed as long as there were no context established for them." (Measell, 1976, p.1)
What elements make up a rhetorical genre? * The first element is a situational requirement which calls for a specific type of response. * The second element is made up of substantive and stylistic characteristics which make up the content and form of the rhetoric deliver by the rhetor. * The last element is the organizing principle which Foss describes as “the label for the internal dynamic of the constellation that is formed by the sustentative stylistic, and situational features of the genre. (Foss, 2009, p. 137-138)
Important Theorists * Edwin Black
Black proposed the following: 1. “There is a limited is a limited number of situations in which a rhetor can find himself.” 2. “There is a limited number of ways in which a rhetor can and will respond rhetorically to any given situation type.” 3. “The recurrence of a given situational type through history will provide a critic with information on the rhetorical responses available in that situation” (Foss, 2009, p. 138). * Lloyd F. Bitzer The focus of Bitzer’s study was on recurring situations. According to Benoit (2000), he “explicitly rejected other influences on the production of rhetorical discourse” (p.179). His belief was that
References: Benoit, W. L. (2000). Beyond Genre Theory: The Genesis of Rhetorical Action. Communication Monographs, 67(2), 178. Campbell III, J. (1992). Achieving Extra-Genre Rhetorical Goals: Disarming Expectations. Communication Quarterly, 40(3), 199-210. Chen, H Foss, S. K. (2009), Generic Criticism. Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice (4th ed.) (137-206), Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Hyland, K Kuteeva, M. (2013). Graduate Learners’ Approaches to Genre-Analysis Tasks: Variations Across and Within Four Disciplines, English for Specific Purposes, 32 (2), 84-96 Measell, J