Abstract
In the present article, we propose a framework for understanding a variety of genre-reception phenomena that we term a “search-for-features” model. The essence of this approach is that many characteristics of genre and genre structure are determined by readers' expectations concerning whether they will enjoy a work. The model provides a framework for accounting for the rich structure of genre categories, the variable consistency of that structure, the existence of an authorial “star” system, and aspects of the historical dynamics of genre. As an initial evaluation of the model, we provide some evidence on how readily readers can identify genre from a book's cover. The results demonstrate that readers are reasonably accurate in making such judgments about most genres, but they perform relatively poorly with science fiction book covers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.