Publisher Description

This text seeks to revise notions of film genre. It connects the roles played by industry critics and audiences in making and re-making genre. In a critique of major voices in the history of genre theory from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, Altman reveals the conflicting stakes for which the genre game has been played. Recognizing that the very term "genre" has different meaning for different groups, he bases his genre theory on the uneasy competitive yet complimentary relationship among genre users and discusses a range of films from "The Great Train Robbery" to "Star Wars," and from "The Jazz Singer" to "The Player."

Back Cover

This text seeks to revise notions of film genre. It connects the roles played by industry critics and audiences in making and re-making genre. In a critique of major voices in the history of genre theory from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, Altman reveals the conflicting stakes for which the genre game has been played. Recognizing that the very term 'genre' has different meaning for different groups, he bases his genre theory on the uneasy competitive yet complimentary relationship among genre users and discusses a range of films from The Great Train Robbery to Star Wars, and from The Jazz Singer to The Player.

Author Biography

Rick Altman is Professor of French and Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. He is the author of "The American Film Musical" and editor of "Cinema/Sound" and "Sound Theory/Sound Practice".

Table of Contents

What is at stake in the history of literary genre theory? what is generally understood by the notion of film genre? where do genres come from? are genres stable? are genres subject to redefinition? where are genres located? how are genres used? why are genres sometimes mixed? what role do genres play in the viewing process? what communication model is appropriate for genres? have genres and genre functions changed over time? what can genres teach us about nations?

Long Description

Film/Genre radically revises our notions. It is the first book to fully connect the roles played by industry critics and audiences in making and re-making genre. In a critiques of major voices in the history of genre theory from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, Rick Altman reveals the conflicting stakes for which the genre game has been played. Recognizing that the very term "genre" has different meanings for different groups, he bases his new genre theory on the uneasy competitive yet complimentary relationship among genre users and discusses a huge range of films from The Great Train Robbery to Star Wars and from The Jazz Singer to The Player.

Details