Media Theories

Hartley (1994)- this theorist argues that 'genres are agents of ideological closure - they limit the meaning of a given text'. Giving the effect that genres act as a straight-jacket by limiting creative potential in artists.

Hodge and Kress (1998)- they say that genres 'control the behavior of producers of such text, and the expectation of potential consumers'. Therefore this conforms to the audiences expectations, which is necessary for them.

Fiske (1987)- genres reflect the zeitgeist (current events). Genre conventions 'embody the ideological concerns of the time in which they are popular. This suggests that genres tell us something about the way of the world. Therefore genres are important in shaping future events and how society functions today.

Rick Altman-  he argues that there is no such thing as 'pure' genre anymore. Audience become tired of the same formula as it needs to still have appeal to audiences. The reason that genres survive is through hybridization borrowing.