The Shifting Definitions of Genre: Essays on Labeling Films, Television Shows and Media

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Histories of science fiction often discuss Fritz Lang’s
Metropolis
as a classic text within the genre - yet the term
science fiction
had not been invented at the time of the film’s release. If the genre did not have a name, did it exist? Does retroactive assignment to a genre change our understanding of a film? Do films shift in meaning and status as the name of a genre changes meaning over time?These provocative questions are at the heart of this book, whose thirteen essays examine the varying constructions of genre within film, television, and other entertainment media. Collectively, the authors argue that generic labels are largely irrelevant or even detrimental to the works to which they are applied.Part One examines the meanings of genre reveals how the media are involved in the production and dissemination of generic definitions. Part Two considers specific films (or groups of films) and their relationships within various categorizations. Part Three focuses on the closely tied concepts of history and memory as they relate to the perceptions of genre.