Challenging a Genre

Paper Summary:

'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys and 'Pygmalion' by George Bernard Shaw are both excellent examples of this literary phenomenon of challenging audience assumptions about genre. The former is an example of prose fiction while the latter is an example of theatrical drama. While both possess many of the overarching, superficial characteristics of each genre, both Shaw and Rhys manipulated their work so as to challenge their respective audiences.

From the Paper:

"Works that challenge our expectations are not nearly as common as some readers and critics might imagine. It is more difficult to challenge the basic presumptions of a given genre that one might think. After all, in order to even be considered part of a given genre, a piece of literature must conform to some of the standards that make up that genre. Prose fiction cannot comfortably be called prose fiction if it is written wholly in stanzas. That would break too many genre barriers for critics to easily be able to evaluate the work as a part of any genre. As a consequence, it takes an adept author to create a literary work that is recognizable as belonging to one genre or another and yet which simultaneously challenges the expectations of critics and readers alike. Nonetheless, this task can be accomplished."

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