Week One

How has the academic reputation of popular genres changed over time and what might be the value of studying them? 

In the past popular genres were not considered to be a legitimate form of literature for academic study. This is due to their often ‘informal’ nature, as what was considered to be ‘proper’ literature was written mostly by men and almost entirely by upper class people. Especially in cases of ‘genre fiction’ or mediums such as animation and comic strips, it was believed that the stories consisted of a basic, predictable plot line with other wishy-washy themes of magic, robots, and some plot-armoured heroic figures.  Thus, it was believed that there could be no academic reading of the genres, as they existed only to entertain. However, the narratives found within popular genres, while also being full of magic systems and sci-fi elements, are also deeply thematic and carry very strong messages throughout them that are worth looking at through the academic lens.

Although some academics still claim popular genres to be ‘not real literature’ that attitude has changed in recent years. More and more universities are introducing papers based around popular genres as they also are becoming more popular among general consumers. As more people are consuming popular genre media it is important that they are critically and academically analysed. When critically analysing a classical piece of literature we are only seeing the perspectives of the people who wrote at the time, mostly older and well educated men. Popular genres allows us to see into the world of those who were oppressed and unable to previously tell their stories. This is why it is important for these texts to be studied so we can understand the perspectives of people from alternative walks of life.