Genre

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

So I went exploring for the meaning of GENRE. Its a Frenchifried word that means KIND or FAMILY.....GENUS. But the meaning is specific NOT general. We're really speaking of a black swan. Among humans the Androgen Insensitive Male is a genre. Common kinds are generic, particulars are genre. Even that's wrong, members of a genre oughta be generic.

 

[hoo_hoo_boo]

So I went exploring for the meaning of GENRE. Its a Frenchifried word that means KIND or FAMILY.....GENUS. But the meaning is specific NOT general. We're really speaking of a black swan. Among humans the Androgen Insensitive Male is a genre. Common kinds are generic, particulars are genre. Even that's wrong, members of a genre oughta be generic.

According to my old Macquarie Dictionary which is becoming quite ancient it has 3 meanings.
"1. genus , kind, sort, style.
2.Painting etc. the category in which scenes from ordinary life are represented (as distinguished from landscapes,etc.).
- adj 3. of or pertaining to genre (def 2)."
Hopefully they have updated the definition because it still isn't clear to me.

The Reader's Digest Reverse Dictionary definition is better.
"n. type, sort; specifically, genre of an imaginative work in literature, art, or music: The Western is a popular genre."
I'm not sure why the work has to be imaginative. It seems wrong to me but I can't think why it is. I also don't know why it doesn't also include mention of its use in botany.

I've never heard of something described as a black swan!

 

[elfin_odalisque]

So I went exploring for the meaning of GENRE. Its a Frenchifried word that means Kind or FAMILY.....GENUS. But the meaning is specific NOT general. We're really speaking of a black swan. Among humans the Androgen Insensitive Male is a genre. Common kinds are generic, particulars are genre. Even that's wrong, members of a genre oughta be generic.

Commonly misunderstood, genre -in French - means the gender of a noun. So, un problem is masculine and une solution is feminine. Genre, in English means what JBJ says but has no biological connotation.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

According to my old Macquarie Dictionary which is becoming quite ancient it has 3 meanings.
"1. genus , kind, sort, style.
2.Painting etc. the category in which scenes from ordinary life are represented (as distinguished from landscapes,etc.).
- adj 3. of or pertaining to genre (def 2)."
Hopefully they have updated the definition because it still isn't clear to me.

The Reader's Digest Reverse Dictionary definition is better.
"n. type, sort; specifically, genre of an imaginative work in literature, art, or music: The Western is a popular genre."
I'm not sure why the work has to be imaginative. It seems wrong to me but I can't think why it is. I also don't know why it doesn't also include mention of its use in botany.

I've never heard of something described as a black swan!

I looked in an etymological dictionary for the answer. I was curious why we use a word that's defined as category, for CATEGORY. And the source indicated that genre was meant for the black swans that aren't fish or fowl. Like Prokoffievs CLASSICAL SYMPHONY; its pure sonata-allegro form with modern instruments, rhythm, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V4EWPSx1r0

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Oh god you're really taking it up there where only a handful of gay people and a few eccentrics would easily follow what you're talking about with THAT analogy!

And besides, Prokofiev was always a very lyrical, melodic composer and it isn't therefore a completely fair example of missuse of terms (not that, as I say, and a handful of expert chefs wouldn't understand you) - maybe he was underlining the fact that he could never quite get away from melodies and so he had to label what he was doing a 'Classical Symphony.' I mean he tries to employ symphonic fundamentals - and ends up back very quickly to his usual strong melodic lines.

Anyway, 'genre' is very likely the result of the precious attitudes of editors, art and literary critics, and publishers, who are always trying to pretend to something elevated and upscale, and have resorted to frenchifying (or franglaisizing) their descriptions in the belief that anything French must be arty.

You will likely never be able to dissuade these types from continuing to do whatever it is their whim leads them to do - look at the VERY precious art critic Robert Hughes, when it suited him, he was able to come right out with it and say about Warhol: 'he was certainly the stupidest person I have ever interviewed.'

I have heard Hughes say category, when he was inclined to have his feet in the ground, and revert to genre just as easily when he was being his usual pretentious self.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Oh god you're really taking it up there where only a handful of gay people and a few eccentrics would easily follow what you're talking about with THAT analogy!

And besides, Prokofiev was always a very lyrical, melodic composer and it isn't therefore a completely fair example of missuse of terms (not that, as I say, and a handful of expert chefs wouldn't understand you) - maybe he was underlining the fact that he could never quite get away from melodies and so he had to label what he was doing a 'Classical Symphony.' I mean he tries to employ symphonic fundamentals - and ends up back very quickly to his usual strong melodic lines.

Anyway, 'genre' is very likely the result of the precious attitudes of editors, art and literary critics, and publishers, who are always trying to pretend to something elevated and upscale, and have resorted to frenchifying (or franglaisizing) their descriptions in the belief that anything French must be arty.

You will likely never be able to dissuade these types from continuing to do whatever it is their whim leads them to do - look at the VERY precious art critic Robert Hughes, when it suited him, he was able to come right out with it and say about Warhol: 'he was certainly the stupidest person I have ever interviewed.'

I have heard Hughes say category, when he was inclined to have his feet in the ground, and revert to genre just as easily when he was being his usual pretentious self.

I endeavor to be Hannibal Lector, if you cant franglaisize them French-fry them.

Or, as some say of Gershwin, he liked to play the whole keyboard.