Repertoire of elements – the certain features that are expected in a genre which are often described as the ‘repertoire of elements’.

Corpus – the ‘body’, there has to be enough texts in a genre for ir to be recognised as a genre 

Hybridisation – the joining of multiple genres

Historic specificity – genres are associated with specific time periods/ may have been popular then due to cultural, economic or historical factors 

Repetition and sameness/Variation and change – means there is a fine line between media creators changing too little and the text becoming boring and changing too much where it becomes unfamiliar 

Narrative image – the way the text is organised to tell a story 

Expectations and hypotheses – the audiences previous experiences of the genre  

Suspended disbelief – when the audience buy in to the film/characters/tv narrative

Generic regime of verisimilitude – what is likely in the text 

Conventions and rules – Technical, written and symbolic tools used to construct or suggest meaning in media forms and products

Sub-genre – a more specific category within a genre 

Hybridity – the merging of genres 

Genres of order and integration (Thomas Schatz) – Genres of order value individualism and personal sacrifice. This genre sees violence as justified in certain circumstances and the heroes’ role is to reinstate the social order that has been undermined by the threat. Genres of integration value collectives and groups who communicate and cooperate for the general good. Negotiation and compromise are often used to help solve problems so that whatever has threatened the equilibrium can find a way to be integrated into the community. 

‘Genre as cultural category’ (ie an expression of a social, cultural and historical moment; again Thomas Schatz writes about how genres change over time and are indicative of the time in which they were made and of which they are representative)