Talk:Genres

From Wikousta

Volume 1

Volume 1 of John Richardson’s, Wacousta, is rich and full of different types of genre. Specifically in volume 1, the genres of mystery and the gothic appear to be the major ones at play, and they also intersect at times. There is also the genre of romance throughout volume 1, and it can be seen as intersecting with the gothic genre as well.

Mystery:

To begin with the mystery genre, it is most certainly a major genre used throughout volume 1 of the text. The mystery genre is most prevalent in volume 1 surrounding the character of Wacousta, as well as the happenstance that occurs with the stranger in the night and the murder, and also with the case and trial of Frank Halloway.

Gothic:

The gothic genre is most definitely a major genre at play in the first volume of Richardsons text. The gothic genre is introduced during chapter two with the intruder in the night, and it progresses throughout the volume with the first mysterious death in the story.

Romance:

The romantic genre takes more of a minor position in this volume while it is concerned with Frank and Ellen Halloway, as well as the talks of Valletort and Clara De Haldimar. However, the romantic genre most certainly progresses and takes a more substantial standpoint in the remaining volumes when we learn about the mysterious Wacousta.

Intersection of Mystery and Gothic Genres:

The intersection between the mystery and gothic genres create quite a dark and fearful feeling for this novel in volume 1. The gothic mystery becomes most apparent regarding the English settlers' fear of the forest, as well as the horrific and fearful descriptions of Wacousta, and of course the mysterious death following the intruder in the night.

Intersection of Gothic and Romantic Genres:

The intersection of the gothic and romantic genres in volume 1 is played out through the trial and execution of Frank Halloway, as himself and his wife Ellen portray very high emotion regarding his execution and the destruction of their love. The intersection between these genre’s can also be seen while Valletort is under the impression that he has killed Charles De Haldimar, the brother of the woman he has admired for years.

(I will be adding specific textual quotations and explanations over the next two days, let me know if you guys would like to change the format and how I have been laying out my work )- Sam :)

NOTES FROM ERIN

Hello everyone,

I will be adding my contributions to the Wiki page by the end of the day. Please let me know if there is anything in particular that needs to be done or that I can help with! I will be checking this discussion page, the Sakai forums, and can also be reached by e-mail, eb16ey@brocku.ca

IDEA: maybe for each section we can pick 1-2 key quotations from the text and put them in the "insert a block of quoted text" function to mark the start/end of each section? Would help break up the page a bit as well as include extra bits of evidence. I put up a quotation as an example under the Volume 1 Gothic to take a look at. Feel free to delete or change if it doesn't fit.

Also: I plan to add to our Wiki page analysis on the role of deceit/disguise (added to the Mystery sections) and Ellen's curse (added to the Gothic). Let me know if this is okay or if it is already taken care of. I could also help out with the romance genre if necessary.

GENRES in WACOUSTA according to module 10: tragedy, comedy, gothic, national epic, romance

~Erin

Hi Erin!

The insert a block of quoted text function is a good idea! I've talked briefly of Ellen's curse in Volume II, but you can add to it from this volume or other volumes if you'd like. I also noticed that for Volume III, the quotations are from the other volumes, so there might have been some confusion there for whoever completed that section!

- Mariam