Thomas Schatz: Only 2 Genres?
| GENRES OF ORDER | GENRES OF INTEGRATION | |
| Example | Western, Gangster, Sci-Fi | Musicals, Comedy, Romance, Melodrama |
| Lead character | Hero – single / male / white /Western / straight / Christian | Couple / Family – focus on family or community – often Female |
| Setting | Contested Space / somewhere which is argued over (often an ideological battleground) | Civilised space, perhaps recognised community space (often ideologically stable) |
| Conflict | Externalised, against others (expressed through violent action) | Internalised – ‘between themselves’ (often expressed tthrough emotion) |
| Resolution | Elimination (death) | Embrace (love) |
| Theme | The hero takes upon himself the problems,contradictions of his society and saves us from them. Usually through a macho code of behaviour, such as, isolated self reliance, either through his departure or death. The hero does not fit in with the values and lifestyles of the community and retains his individuality. | The romantic couple of family are integrated into the wider community their personal antagonims resolved. Follows a maternal and / or familial code of community co-operation |
Schatz also presents a four part schema for the way in which genres develop