14 Understanding Corollary Genres

Writing in different genres can help us see the connections and overlap among genres. Some writing genres have similar expectations to them, like journaling and blogging, but different audiences. Other writing genres might have variations based on how people have used these genres, like comic books and graphic novels, where subtle changes can make huge differences in how audiences perceive the writing. A corollary genre is a concept that can help us recognize similar writing strategies used across related  genres.

What is a corollary genre and why does it matter? As defined by the Genres Across Borders network, a corollary genre is “a genre variation engendered when actors revise some of the discursive qualities and expectations of a particular genre but do not completely transform the genre itself. Such modifications bring about derivative or ‘corollary’ genres.” Genres are adaptable, in other words, to suit new purposes and audiences. In the context of first-year writing courses, corollary genres help us determine the different kinds of writing moves you’ll want to make as you compose.

Corollary genres also help us connect similar kinds of information and expectations in multiple genres. As we discussed above, genre expectations can determine how and what information we frame for the reader. You’ll write in a variety of genres in your writing courses and life, so it’s important to ask: what is the bigger communicative purpose for this particular genre? Who is the specific audience? Corollary genres help us resolve these questions! For example, journals, blogs, movie reviews, and narratives are all examples of critical reflection, which asks writers to consider the significance of their experiences and communicate that significance by telling specific stories. If we’re writing in one of these corollary genres,, we’ll need to reflect on important information and communicate the significance of that information to our reader.

Grouping Genres

But as we mentioned earlier with our research paper example, we can group genres and corollary genres by their common features and expectations. Think about holiday films. Whatever winter holiday you celebrate, some networks like to air marathons of films connected to the Christmas holiday. Amazingly, Christmas movies can range from the romantic comedy Love Actually to the action film, Die Hard. Both films take place around the Christmas holiday and have key plot elements related to Christmas. Love Actually, as a romantic comedy, includes its fair share of Santa costumes and awkward gift-giving scenarios that get the characters into trouble. Alternatively, Die Hard takes place during a Christmas party that gets crashed by some burglars and results in a lot of Christmas-related action scenes.

While the debate over whether Die Hard “counts” as a Christmas movie continues to this day, in the context of this chapter, we can recognize how the genre of holiday films is interestingly expanded by its inclusion. Ultimately, corollary genres show us that genres are not monolithic—they contain varied examples that are connected by common  features and expectations.

Writing across Genres

As demonstrated in previous sections in this chapter, our understanding of corollary genres evolves constantly. However, most genres  rely on these key building blocks: summarizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and using multiple communication modes. Why do you need to master these skills? First, these skills are foundational to many composing tasks. In fact, they’re so useful across genres that you can apply these skills to a variety of situations in the classroom, at work, and in everyday life. Second, these skills build in complexity from summary to analysis to synthesis; multimodality also ranges from simple to complex as you gain confidence. Therefore, once you learn these skills, you will be better prepared to make complex arguments, problem solve, and communicate persuasively. In the next sections, we outline these foundational skills.