generic+conventions

Generic Conventions are the features shown by texts that allow them to be put into a specific genre.
 * This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate between an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing.

For example: Almost all Westerns use the Iconography of cowboy hats, six shooters, horses and spurs to place them in their genre. Similarly Situation Comedies will often have canned laughter, a few specific and long-running characters and locations and with several catch-phrases. Generic conventions are very useful to producers and audiences alike. Producers can attract a specific target audience by making it very explicit what genre the text falls into. Audiences can easily identify a genre of text and choose to consume it or not. A final example is action movies are characterized by explosions.

__Wikiversity__. Wikiversity. 2 Apr 2007 <[|http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page>.]

__Wkipedia The Free Encyclopedia__. Wikipedia. 2 Apr 2007 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.]