Popular Culture Genres
Theories and Texts
- Arthur Asa Berger - San Francisco State University, USA
Volume:
2
May 1992 | 192 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Witty and accessible, Popular Culture Genres is a fascinating study of genres and genre criticism. Author Arthur Asa Berger empowers readers to make their own analysis by providing the methods and examples of good criticism. Part I deals with genres from a critical perspective, asking questions such as: How do the conventions of different genres affect the creation and production of texts and the audiences of those texts? Do certain genres have significant social and political implications? And, how do genres evolve? Part II takes a look at five "classic" popular texts (in both their novel and film versions). Viewing these works in the context of their respective genres is not only instructive in nature but captivating reading as well.
PART ONE: THEORIES
On the Structure of Genres
Propp, de Saussure and the Narrative
Formulas and Texts
Genre Theory
Genre, Society and Culture
The Classical Mystery
PART TWO: TEXTS
Murder on the Orient Express
f003 The Maltese Falcon
f003 Dr No
f003 War of the Worlds
Frankenstein
Conclusions