How has the academic reception of popular genres changed over time?
Popular genres also known as mass literature was an ignored literature that refers to a wide range of new media. Some of these include anime, manga, adventure, fantasy and science fiction. Pop genres uses formulaic plot structures, where the characters face difficulties and have to overcome obstacles that result in a victorious and predictable ending. Pop genres also comprises of two dimensional characters that don’t fit into the classic literature known characters. It is also known that pop genres are multi modal meaning that they make use of visual and audio elements as well. Thankfully, this has contributed to technological development and the expansion in new media.
Popular genres was not recognized as pure literature until much later in time due to the classical literature like Shakespeare everyone was used to during the earlier time period. However, literature has changed over time, specifically with the evolvement of technology this has incredibly helped popular genres be further exposed throughout the media on various mediums such as comics, film, short stories and novels etc. helping receive the acknowledgement it should. Thankfully, due to the increasing popularity of popular genres, academics realized that the popular genre literature was equally important and therefore needed to be shared, studied and spoken about. Thus, popular genres have been included in academic papers and are now studied in universities with academic papers and curriculums providing students with the rich history of its development. This has been a huge development for multi-media, new media and production companies that can create and produce the new kinds of literature that all audiences are able to read and watch today.
- What might the value be of studying them?
The value of studying popular genres is quite hard to define, just like how it is hard to define popular genres in one sentence. It’s important because it opens an entire new world to literature and to a new audience as well. There are new fantasies, new creative ideas, imaginary worlds and realms that are different and can be appreciated by different people. It gives students the opportunity to learn about the endless imagination authors have and produces art through literature that should also be acknowledged for its content differences. Modern day society has changed, technology has changed, time has changed therefore it is only normal that literature changes to. This proves that there’s not only one way to writing literature, and that the creativity of new ideas, themes, concepts, relationships and issues popular genres includes can be written in many forms. Popular genres record the changing of culture and society and distributes it through its variety of mediums to share with audiences. To me, valuing popular genres, means to value creativity and imagination through literature.
Pop Genres 2020 