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The Genre of Mysteries

For centuries mankind has looked to the signs and patterns of the sun, stars, and moon to

find answers to their most wondered questions. The ancient study of astrology dates back to the

6th century, where the Greeks formed the first calendars based on celestial objects in the sky

(Stevens 2017). People began to use these astronomical calculations along with their personal

signs of zodiac to determine their future fortunes. They would try to grasp a glimpse into the

unknown of their relationships, lifestyle, and inner workings in the present and future. This genre

of writing became known as a “horoscope..” Many modern-day astrological apps have been

created from the antecedent genres of fortune tellers, newspaper horoscopes, and tarot card

readershis antecedent genre. One of the most widely used horoscope apps is called “Costar

astrology” which gives an individual a personalized horoscope reading on a daily basis. Co-star

is made to be easy to understand, and readily available to a wide audience, it is said that

“Everyone has Co-star downloaded!” (Vogue 2019). Although this genre has been developed

from its original formriginal form, it holds the same core conventions and rhetorical situations as

its antecedent genre’s. The Co-Star app still holds the same simplistic, engaging, conventions as

its antecedent genre, however it is has been adapted to fit the modern reader.ts antecedent genres.

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The traditional genre of a “horoscope” liess lies on a foundation of old ways of fortune

telling. In an interview with my mother, Katja Halle, she claimed this genre had existed as long

as she could remember. From newspaper horoscope readings, to fortune tellers, to tarot card

readers, to call-in lines, there were many ways to access this genre when she was growing up in
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her teen years during the 80’s. In her interview, she described that even hundreds of years ago

people would calculate the star signs to analyze their future fortune. She also claimed that in

different regions, people developed their own belief systems, for example, there are “farmers

who believe in the god of plant growth.” She stated and that horoscopes are just another belief

system to help people gain a sense of having more knowledge and more control over their own

life (Halle).

In addition, Halle revealed, She claimed that she most commonly was exposed to the

horoscope in the newspaper, because in a time where apps and social media did not exist, reading

the newspaper was a way to stay preoccupied. Anyone “young and curious or old and looking for

a bit of hope” could easily glance at the box under their zodiac sign and find a message to lighten

their spirit (Halle). Mrs. Halle describes how these tidbits of wisdom and advice were often very

simple and had a message that could be applied to the vast audience of those who read the

newspaper.

When Halle describes the genre conventions of the horoscopes in the newspaper, she

discusses their simplicity as a common foundation. Conventions help to distinguish genre’s,

similar pieces of writing of the same genre share the same conventions. In the case of the

horoscope genre, Halle claims that horoscopes in newspapers They were often written in small

simple print in a box in the corner of the newspaper. One could easily find a visual of their their

visual star sign and look right beneath it to find their fortune. She said the messages often only

conveyed positive, simplistic messages news relating to work life, social life, or love life. The

messages were introduced byhere were bold headlines to grab a reader's attention, and dates that
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conveyed the week the horoscope would relate to. The wording of each message was informal,

made to feel more genuine and personal, with a light, intimate tone, however this was very

misconceiving as they were very broad messages. Mrs. Halle claims there was also also used to

be a number that you could be called for a free minute of fortune telling, however the fortune

teller on the end of the line would try and keep your attention and create a “therapy session-like”

conversation so the customer would lose track of time and be billed at the end of the call

(Halle). The conventions the antecedent genre’s used were intended to engage people and give

them a message that would leave them satisfied.

The Co-star app also falls under the horoscope app category, however, is developed to fit

the current day “tech savvy” audience. The rhetorical situation of a piece of writing is dependent

on the message, the writer behind the message, and the audience and context in which this

specific piece is being written (Perdue Writing Lab 2019). The Co-Staris app wasis created for a

youngyounger generation of people, who are more involved with their phones than previous

generations. It adapts it’s information to fit a phone screen, whilst still following the standard

genre convention of horoscopes. made to be very easy to access, and still pique the interest of

the user. It is made to make the user feel as though they know things about their future in the

categories of “charisma”, “magnetism”, “professional success”, “creative flow”, “growth”, and

“faith”.

Genre conventions help to distinguish different genres, often having the same elements

throughout each genre. Some characteristics of an astrology app would be determining a certain

personal mental or physical standpoint through star signs, lunar cycles, and solar cycles. These
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things allow you not only to see into the future, but also to reflect onto your past experiences and

how they theoretically align with astrology. Formatted: Font color: Black

This app uses a format that requires little prior instruction, however despite it’s simplicity

there are also many minute details that make it visually appealing.Within this app you see The

app is set up with dates formatted like a calendar, at the top of the screen, so the user can choose

a specific day to look at their horoscope reading. Underneath each date there are categories in

bold with small messages under them such as “Professional success – Your intuitive insight is on

fire, focus on your self-directed goals and strategy alliances”. The motivative diction and

assertiveness directed towards the user, creates a sense of empowerment. As is common within

horoscopes, the message is made out to seem like it’s only written for hat reader, but in actuality

it is broad enough for it to be applicable to a wide range of people. In addition, there are small

visual images of planets, and symbols for each category, such as a heart for “love and

relationships, and a bird for “creative flow”. The organized format along with the vibrant visuals

make for a very intriguing app. This app also establishes, that it is not just a fluke, but that “a

personalized, informal, horoscope reading that constantly changes as the planets move. Co-star’s

predictions are created through measuring the exact time and place you were born and capturing

the image of the sky at that time, as well as being paired with NASA’s current sky reading (Co-

star app store, 2019). This app connects human experience to the experience of the universe,

therefore must seem realistic, make sense, and have a sense of accuracy in it. It must have a

reliable source behind it, from which it retrieves its information, in this case NASA, and

although it often is, must find a way to break the repetition in its readings, so it keeps the
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consumer hooked. The app is made to be easy, and fun to use, and to leave the user wanting

more. The language must be broad enough to apply to people of all different times and places,

who receive the same reading, and must use a balanced ratio of language with positive and

negative connotations, so users aren't upset by the horoscope they receive.

The way antecedent genres compare to the app “Co-star Astrology” is in the way they

share the same horoscope concept, now it’s just developed into an app so it’s faster and easier for

people to access. These kinds of horoscope apps still serve the same purpose of delivering

messages of hope or warning, but now the audience has changed. While in previous generations

everyone - young and old - read the newspaper, this app is geared towards a younger generation

who is familiar with technology as well as social media platforms. This app incorporates the old

school idea of fortune telling into a generation that doesn’t wait to read a newspaper or see a

fortune teller. Co-star allows them to access their fate of the day with a click on their phone. In

comparison to its antecedent genrenewspaper horoscopes, the app may have a few more gadgets

and categories to look at, however the diction that Co-star and an antecedent genre, such as a

newspaper horoscope, have, are very similar in tone and structure. While Co-Star has a few more

categories such as “charisma”, “magnetism”, “professional success”, “creative flow”, “growth”,

and “faith”, that each have a few descriptive sentences, a newspaper horoscope shares

information that pertains to all the categories in just a few sentences. On Co-star under Aquarius

on 10/2/2019, under “emotional stability” it states, “You are experiencing large-scale change

having to do with your significant relationships. You will have luck relating to the way you

naturally process emotion.” Similarly, a horoscope in a newspaper may include something like
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“Aquarius (Jan. 20th - Feb. 18th)” claiming “Use what you have and market your talents. Formatted: Superscript
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Discipline and hard work will win favors” (Woolaston News, 2018). It is evident that both use

short, concise sentences, with broad language, that could make the horoscope applicable to

anyone reading it. However the tone is very intimate, and uplifting, in order to make it more

personal to the reader.the language used on the app is also very simple, broad, and informal,

made to seem as if a person is speaking these things specifically to you. Because the app makers

know that the older generations won't be using this app to the same extent, or would rather resort

to their “old-school” ways of receiving their fortune, the app company can narrow their fortunes

align with more of the things that may be going on in the life of a teenager. The younger

generation is also more prone to use this app because it's another way of connecting online, as

you can read the fortunes of others and find common grounds that bring them together.

Horoscope The way antecedent genres compare to the app “Co-star Astrology” is in the

way they share the same horoscope concept, now it’s just developed into an app so it’s faster and

easier for people to access. These kinds of horoscope apps still serve the same purpose of

delivering messages of hope or warning, as their antecedent genre’s did, but now the audience

has changed. While in previous generations everyone - young and old - read the newspaper, this

app is geared towards a younger generation who is familiar with technology as well as social

media platforms. This app incorporates the old school idea of fortune telling into a generation

that doesn’t wait to read a newspaper or see a fortune teller. Co-star allows them to access their

fate of the day with a click on their phone. Because the app makers know that the older

generations won't be using this app to the same extent, or would rather resort to their “old-
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October 14, 2019

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school” ways of receiving their fortune, the app company can narrow their fortunes align with

more of the things that may be going on in the life of a teenager.

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In the same way that many other genres of writing have been modernized overtime, so

has the horoscope genre. This change is not due to one substance of the material but rather one of

a change in technology and audience. The app makers of Co- Star Astrology found the best way

to keep this genre alive for the new generation and that was through this simple, but exciting app.

Although this genre has been developed from its original form, it holds the same core

conventions and rhetorical situations as its antecedent genre’s. The Co-Star app still holds the

same simplistic, engaging, conventions as its antecedent genre, however it is has been adapted to

fit the modern readerIn this way., Talthough there have been many changes over time in this

genre, the core concept of giving the audience something to have faith in as well as giving them

more insight into the mystery of the unknown remains the same. As technology develops in the

future is is evident to predict that this genre will develop along with it. If only horoscopes could

give us that much insight into the future!

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Works Cited

Co-star Astrology Society. “Co-star Astrology”. Apple App Store, Version 3.18, 2017.

https://www.costarastrology.com

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“Everywhere.” Vogue, Vogue, 6 Sept. 2019, www.vogue.com/article/whats-co-star-astrology-

app-technology-spirituality.

“Horoscopes with Cosmic Collin.” Woolaston News, 2018, Formatted: Font color: Text 1
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www.woolaston.org.uk/wn_Summer%202019.pdf. Auto, After: Auto
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Formatted: Font: -webkit-standard, Font color: Text 1
Katja Halle, Personal Communication, October 6th, 2019

Noble, Audrey. “What's Co-Star? Meet the Astrology App That's Intriguing Millennials

Purdue Writing Lab. “Rhetorical Situations // Purdue Writing Lab.” Purdue Writing Lab,

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/rhetorical_situation/index.html.
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Stevens, Stephanie. “This Is How Astrology Was Founded.” KiwiReport, 26 Mar. 2017,

http://www.kiwireport.com/this-is-how-astrology-was-founded/.