Page 99 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 4

10. Examine an old science fiction novel or movie that has a futuristic
setting.
a. Did the presentation anticipate any developments that can be
found today, particularly in the following areas?
1. Inventions
2. Lifestyle
3. Social issues/problems
b. Have any “predictions” not appeared yet? Explain.
11. Contrast programs from the same genre but from two different eras.
What do these programs reveal with regard to changes in cultural
attitudes, values, behaviors, preoccupations, and myths?
12. Examine programming from two different genres that appear during
the same era:
Identify any points of similarity with regard to:

a. Area of focus
b. Attitudes toward groups
c. Worldview
d. Response to historical events
13. An intra-genre approach examines issue or themes that appear over
time across genres. Trace a theme or issue that appears in different
genres over time.
14. Trace the appearance of the stock characters in a genre over time.
1. Have these stock characters changed in any respect over
time?
2. If so, how?
3. What does this reveal about shifts in the culture?
Genre Analysis: Historical Context

Art Silverblatt and Richard Rosenfeld conducted the following genre
analysis, tracing the evolution of the youth film between 1938 and 1986.

Growing Up on Screen: The Cult of Adolescence in
American Film, 1938–1986
Overview

This article focuses on images of adolescence and adulthood in American
popular film. By “cult of adolescence” we refer to the preoccupation

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