Blog #1: BBG Chapter 1

In the first chapter of The Bedford Book of Genres, the authors focus on the general concept of genre and how fully understanding it can make one a better writer and overall content creator. What I found the most interesting about this chapter is the way that genre is presented as a sort of final decision when it comes to making something, as the book states that choosing a genre should come after determining one's purpose and rhetorical situation. Usually, when I think of genre, I think of a means of confinement. For example, when a professor tells me to write a research paper, sticking to the traditional aspects and rules that come along with the genre of a research paper become the most important thing to me. I feel like genre is usually assigned, and after the assignment is when one is allowed to think up a topic, purpose, and audience, which is the opposite of what this chapter is proposing. This new (to me) way of thinking about genre is much less strict and encourages creativity, while also requiring one to really think about what the best way to convey one's point really is.