Difference between revisions of "Genre Study (Discussion)"

From Screenpedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Line 8: Line 8:
 
:Mittell writes that he wants to explore "how '''the generic categories of police show, documentary, film noir, and radio crime drama'' were all activated within and around the program. ''Dragnet'' not only drew upon these categories in its textual conventions, formal properties, and encoded meanings, but also in its larger cultural circulation in the 1950s and 1960s, activating discourses of generic definition, interpretation, and evaluation." (124)
 
:Mittell writes that he wants to explore "how '''the generic categories of police show, documentary, film noir, and radio crime drama'' were all activated within and around the program. ''Dragnet'' not only drew upon these categories in its textual conventions, formal properties, and encoded meanings, but also in its larger cultural circulation in the 1950s and 1960s, activating discourses of generic definition, interpretation, and evaluation." (124)
  
'''Group 2''': Mittell links the documentary and the semi-documentary crime film with ''Dragnet''. What key connections does he see there? What elements assert ''Dragnet'''s "authenticity"? Can you see these in "The Big Shoplift" episode?
+
'''Group 2''': Mittell links the documentary and the semi-documentary crime film with ''Dragnet''. What key connections does he see there? What elements assert ''Dragnet's'' "authenticity"? Can you see these in "The Big Shoplift" episode?
  
 
'''Group 3''': According to the Mittell chapter, what stylistic conventions can be found in ''Dragnet''? Or, in other words, how does it fit into a stylistic schema? (Hint: his term, "formal," refers to stylistic aspects of television.) For example, how does Mittell interpret the acting style of ''Dragnet'' and its "line editing"?
 
'''Group 3''': According to the Mittell chapter, what stylistic conventions can be found in ''Dragnet''? Or, in other words, how does it fit into a stylistic schema? (Hint: his term, "formal," refers to stylistic aspects of television.) For example, how does Mittell interpret the acting style of ''Dragnet'' and its "line editing"?

Revision as of 18:36, 27 September 2012

Television on genre

  1. What dilemma do genre scholars face when trying to define a genre? Explain the theoretical way of escaping that dilemma and the historical way of escaping it. Within your group, conduct a survey to determine what its "cultural consensus" is for the definition of the sitcom. You may wish to refer to sitcoms we've seen in class.
  2. Genres may be defined based on their stylistic schema. Explain that phrase and how it might be used to define a genre. Provide an example.
  3. Genres may be defined by their subject matter--specifically, their narrative structure. Explain how Kaminsky and Mahan articulate the police show's narrative structure. Does the episode of Dragnet we watched support their argument?
  4. Genres may be defined by their subject matter--specifically, their themes. Explain the "binary oppositions" (thematic structure) that Hurd finds in the police show. Does the episode of Dragnet we watched support their argument?

Jason Mittell on Dragnet and genre

Mittell writes that he wants to explore "how 'the generic categories of police show, documentary, film noir, and radio crime drama were all activated within and around the program. Dragnet not only drew upon these categories in its textual conventions, formal properties, and encoded meanings, but also in its larger cultural circulation in the 1950s and 1960s, activating discourses of generic definition, interpretation, and evaluation." (124)

Group 2: Mittell links the documentary and the semi-documentary crime film with Dragnet. What key connections does he see there? What elements assert Dragnet's "authenticity"? Can you see these in "The Big Shoplift" episode?

Group 3: According to the Mittell chapter, what stylistic conventions can be found in Dragnet? Or, in other words, how does it fit into a stylistic schema? (Hint: his term, "formal," refers to stylistic aspects of television.) For example, how does Mittell interpret the acting style of Dragnet and its "line editing"?

Group 4: What narrative pattern does Mittell see in Dragnet? How does it compare/contrast with the Kaminsky and Mahan model? Can you see this in "The Big Shoplift" episode?

Group 1: How does Mittell apply the idea of oppositions? What is his point about "mediating figures"? Does "The Big Shoplift" episode support his argument? How does this fit with Hurd's notion of binary oppositions?

All groups

  1. List two strength(s) of genre analysis. List two weaknesses of this approach.

Bibliography

  1. Jeremy G. Butler, Television: Critical Methods and Applications (NY: Routledge, 2012).
  2. Jason Mittell, Genre and Television: From Cop Show to Cartoons in American Culture (NY: Routledge, 2004).

External links