Analyzing Genre Models

When you choose a novel or a film, you probably know right away the type that you prefer, whether a romance, police drama, or action-packed war story. However, you may find all academic genres simply difficult — not different — until you gain experience with them and learn to spot their features. If you want to find samples of a particular written genre, your best resources may be examples such as these:

For some sets of examples that you might analyze with this checklist, see the poems on p. 219, 287–88; the short stories on p. 260 and 283; the letters on pp. 360, 363, and 383; or the newspaper opinion column on p. 53.

As you examine academic models, bring your experience reading and writing past assignments to your new task. The more experience you gain with a specific genre — whether a review of the literature or a lab report or a literary analysis — the easier and more familiar that form will be. Soon you, too, will absorb its assumptions and conventions. Use the following questions to help you notice which features are shared by all (and seem mandatory) and which appear in some (and seem variable or optional).

GENRE CHECKLIST

Parts of the Text

  • How does the text begin — with a title, an abstract (or summary), an opening paragraph on the topic, a description, a problem, or another feature?
  • What are its sections? Do they appear in a predictable sequence? Are they labeled with headings, act and scene numbers, or other markers?
  • Does it have preliminaries (title page, table of contents, list of figures)?
  • Does it include closing materials (list of sources, appendix)?

Development

  • How are paragraphs typically developed? Do they begin with topic sentences or work up to the main point? Do they tend to contain one example or several? Are they all about the same length or varied?
  • How are sentences typically developed? Are they similar or varied in terms of length, structure, and opening wording? Do they often begin with transitions? Do they use active voice (X did it) or passive (it was done by X)? Do they use first person (I, we) or third (he, she, it, they)?
  • What tone, style, vocabulary, and level of formality does the text use? Does it assume readers know certain terms or technical expressions, or does it define them?
  • What types of assertions, claims, evidence, turns of the argument, or sources does it use?
  • Are sources cited following MLA, APA, or another academic style?
  • Do other features appear to be conventional or typical?

Presentation

  • What does the text look like on a page? Is it mostly formal text with one-inch margins, a 12-point type font, and a running header? Or does it have uneven lines or variable placement of text (as in a letter, poem, or play)?
  • Does the text include diagrams or figures, tables with numerical results, graphs, photographs of places or events, sketches of creatures or objects studied, or other visuals? How are these labeled and credited (if necessary)?
  • How is the final list of sources indented and spaced on the page?

After you analyze several models, compare your observations with the requirements in your assignment. When you find a match, you’ll have both directions and an example or pattern. When in doubt, always follow your assignment; ask your instructor to clarify any confusing alternatives.