Understanding

conventions of
traditional genres
 What is literary conventions?
 A literary convention is the name given to a
well-established technique or feature of a
particular genre. Because it is well-established,
a convention is accepted and expected by the
reader.
 What is the basis of the experiences and perceptions that
influence our categorisation of genres?

 Different genres are not fixed or discrete

categories. Rather, what distinguishes them
from each other is the distinctive pattern of
what we call conventions.
 Conventions can be based on what is presented,
drawing on the agreed expectations that have
already been established within a certain genre.
For example, if you open a kitchen drawer, you
expect to find kitchen utensils, not underwear.
 Breaking the expected conventions creates
surprise and humour or shock. Monty Python's
The Holy Grail is based on the well known
search by King Arthur. If a strange creature
were to appear, we would expect a dragon or a
knight with the strength of ten men, but not a
killer rabbit. The arrival of a vicious rabbit
instead breaks the expected conventions of the
historical film genre and creates the humour.
 Feature films such as westerns, thrillers, or musicals, and
tragedies and comedies for stage, television, or film - all
have their own conventions. So, too, do television news
programmes, documentaries, soap operas, and quiz
programmes. And so do cartoons, comics, and weather
information in our daily newspapers.
 Although all the conventions of what is presented in one
genre may not be exclusive to that genre, the pattern or
combination of conventions is what distinguishes
examples of one genre from another.
 Other conventions are based on how something is presented.
Such conventions influence our expectations, how we interpret
what we view and read, and what we and our students in turn
recreate and present. For example, in a mime or drama, the
performer is able to suggest, and we are able to understand,
that he or she has come to a wall or is eating or drinking, even
though there is no wall or food, knife and fork, or glass. We
know this because of our knowledge and understanding of the
conventions of mime, which enable us to read, make, and
share meaning. We explore, read, and interpret visual language
in terms of our understanding of conventions.
 Some Conventions Common to Books, Film,
and Television
1. Conventions of narrative - Both books (especially
novels) and films often have a plot and narrative
structure shaped into three main movements,
similar to a three-act play. The work typically
opens with one or more characters in a situation
where an incident incites a conflict. This catalyst
(substance) then sets off complications, often
developing through two or three crises or
particularly tense moments. The situation reaches a
climax and is then resolved.
 2. Subplot
 As in written narrative, a subplot is common in
feature films and television. A secondary story,
connected to the main narrative in some way,
keeps viewers interested and may reinforce or
provide contrast to important ideas in the main
story.
 3. Journeys
 Many films, such as Watership Down, Once Were
Warriors, and An Angel at My Table, are journeys of
experience for both their characters and their
viewing audiences. So, too, are television
programmes like The Simpsons or Friends. As in
fiction, the structure of a film narrative can be based
on a physical as well as a mental and emotional
journey: one well known example is Apocalypse
Now, which is closely related to Conrad's Heart of
Darkness.
 4.Symbols and motifs
 Narratives can be unified by symbols. Visual symbols, such as bright
sunny weather, might suggest happiness, enjoyment, and hope.
Narratives can also be unified by the repetition of symbols, called
motifs, as in the sea, rain, mud, bush, and trees in The Piano: motifs
that reinforce the sense of isolation and entrapment. The same film
has several other recurring symbols or motifs: the fingers and hands
and, of course, the piano itself. Sound can also unify narrative,
providing recurring motifs. The regular, rhythmic, and sinister
musical beat in Jaws, signaling that another crisis or attack is
imminent, is a good example. Comedy often has a motif of a
particular recurring character or action, such as the mice who appear
in the corner of the screen singing to introduce each new adventure in
Babe.
 5.Themes
 The structured narratives of feature films and
television programmes have central ideas or
themes. Our interpretation of the theme is
related to the expectations we have, which in
turn revolve around the external and internal
conflicts of the characters.
 6.Forms
 The form is the essential structure of the visual
language text, including its organisation, style,
and sequence. A picture book might be in the
form of a series of collages. A film might be
structured in flashback or contrasting
sequences from plot and subplot.
 7.Settings
 The setting, including the period in which the action takes
place, is important, too. For example, in science fiction,
the setting is usually in the future. Other science fiction
conventions might include some scientific development or
phenomenon that is central to the narrative; there may be
extraterrestrial beings, and the world of good characters
may be under threat from evil "baddies" trying to gain
power. Again, the conflict may be between the good and
evil uses of a discovery or a new world. The expectation,
or convention, is that at the climax, usually against the
odds, the "goodies" win.