Film Studies Librarian
Dartmouth College
25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
Find New Books on Film Genres in the Library's Collections
Find new titles about film genres in the library's collections. Starting from 2022 to the present.
Keeping up with the journal literature
New Discovery System at the Top of the Page
With the beginning of our new discovery system, you have a new way to find articles, books, maps, videos and anything else the Library owns or has access to. And you don't even have to leave this page! At the top of the page, you will see a search box. Type in your terms, hit Enter and see what you get. This discovery system searches for books, articles and everything else.
Too many results? Use the left of the page to narrow your search. Narrow your search to "Peer-reviewed" items. Or maybe you only want to see books. You can limit your search to books. Want to limit your search to the most recent items? You can do that too. Do a search, experiment with the facets to limit the search and see how you like how it works.
And let us know what you think about it.
Finding library resources
This page is here to help you find movies of a specific types and resources that talk about those types. The list will grow as time permits.
Groups of films classified according to
1. shared characteristics of film form, film style, iconography, or content (textual focus);
2. film industry practices of production and marketing (industry focus);
3. audience expectations and responses (reception focus). Many film genres have existed since the earliest years of cinema: the action film, biopic, melodrama, and social problem film, to name only a handful (see early cinema; silent cinema); while others are newer: the chick flick, extreme cinema, machinima, for example. Some genres are international, or nearly so: these include the fantasy film, the musical, pornography, science fiction; while others are closely associated with particular national cinemas: chanchada, peplum film, blaxploitation, Heimat film.
In film studies, the study of genre—often termed genre criticism —divides into two main aspects: firstly, work on individual film genres (historical treatises on the Hollywood western, for example); and secondly, general theoretical inquiry into genre as a system of expectations and conventions that circulate between film industry, film texts, and filmgoers. The second area of study is undeveloped by comparison with the first, which until the 1990s was largely dominated by attention to popular genres in Hollywood cinema.
Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. (2012). Genre. In A Dictionary of Film Studies. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 Oct. 2020
To find what we have in the Library's collection, you can do a subject search for "film genres" in the online catalog. You can also use the other subject heading shown: "motion pictures plots, themes, etc."
- ... in motion picturesIf you want to see how a theme is handle in movies, you put the word in front of "in motion pictures." An example is "sex in motion pictures."
Film appreciation through genres by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995 .G525 2019ISBN: 9781476676395Our love of films often leads us to discuss them in enthusiastic, if not necessarily sophisticated, conversations. Many moviegoers want a better understanding so that they might better articulate their experiences. This midpoint between theorizing and plot summary is not difficult to achieve. Since their introduction just before the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of narrative films have followed the same structure--now known as Classic Hollywood Cinema. This book examines what "classic" means, particularly in Westerns, gangster films, film noir, horror, science fiction, slapstick comedy and screwball comedy/romance. The reader is introduced to concepts of film theory, which leads to a better and deeper appreciation of the movies. A 20-page comprehensive industry glossary of film terms is included for easy reference.
Film genre reader IV by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995 .F457933 2012ISBN: 9780292742079The Film Genre Reader is the standard reference and classroom text for the study of genre in film. This fourth edition adds new essays on genre definition and cycles, action movies, science fiction, and heritage films, along with a comprehensive and updated bibliography. ...
Handbook of American film genres by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1993.5 .U6 H335 1988ISBN: 9780313247156More genres, 19 in fact, are discussed than in other standard works. The 14 genres considered here by film scholar contributors other than Gehring include the adventure film, the western, the gangster film, film noir, the WW II combat film, the horror film, science fiction, fantasy, the musical, melodrama, the social problem film, the biographical film, and the art film. The discussion of fine comedy genres by Gehring himself is far more extensive than in other genre studies, embracing screwball comedy, populist comedy, parody, black humor, and clown comedy. ...
Moving pictures: a new theory of film genres, feelings, and cognition by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995 .G6887 1997ISBN: 9780198159414Providing an alternative to pyschoanalytically based descriptions, this book presents an unique new theoretical account of the way emotions and thought patterns interact in creating aesthetic effects in films. Grodal shows how films activate effects in the viewer and how these effects are molded by genres (horror, melodrama) which determine the way in which characters will react in given situations.
For more books about cinema genres, click here.
- American scenarios: the uses of film genre byCall Number: Baker-Berry PN 1993.5 .U6 R44 1989ISBN: 9780819552150
Cinema genre by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995 .M55913 2008ISBN: 9781405156516Genre - or type - is a core concept in both film production and the history of film. Genres play a key role in how moviegoers perceive and rate films, and is likely to determine a film's production values and costs. Written in a clear, engaging, jargon-free style, this volume offers a cutting-edge theoretical overview of the topic of genre as practiced in British, American and French film criticism.
Film/genre by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995 .A383 1999ISBN: 9780851707181This book revises our notions of film genre and connects the roles played by industry critics and audiences in making and re-making genre. Altman reveals the conflicting stakes for which the genre game has been played and recognises that the term genre has different meanings for different groups.
Film genre 2000: new critical essays by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780585276748Covering over 100 feature films in critical depth and detail, this reader provides an excellent introduction to American genre film-making since 1990. These essays each address a different film genre from science fiction to romance to 90s noir as well as the ways in which genre film-making as a whole has been changed by the new technologies and market forces that are shaping the future of cinema. ...
Genre screenwriting: how to write popular screenplays that sell by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1996 .D83 2008ISBN: 9780826429933It's simple: films need to have commercial value for the studios to produce them, distributors to sell them, and theater chains to screen them. While talent definitely plays a part in the writing process, it can be the well-executed formulaic approaches to the popular genres that will first get you noticed in the industry. Genre Screenwriting: How to Write Popular Screenplays That Sell does not attempt to probe in the deepest psyche of screenwriters and directors of famous or seminal films, nor does it attempt to analyze the deep theoretic machinations of films. Duncan's simple goal is to give the reader, the screenwriter, a practical guide to writing each popular film genre. ...
Hollywood hybrids: mixing genres in contemporary films by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1993.5 .U6 J23 2008ISBN: 9780742539501Through close readings of work by major U.S. filmmakers such as Tarantino, David Lynch, Errol Morris, Todd Haynes, and Joel and Ethan Coen, Hollywood Hybrids studies provocative, disorienting strategies of genre mixing in contemporary cinema. The book also investigates foreign parallels to U.S. hybrid cinema in films by such directors as Pedro Almod-var (Spain) and Stephen Chow (Hong Kong). ...
Refiguring American film genres: theory and history by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780520207318This collection of essays by leading American film scholars charts a whole new territory in genre film criticism. Rather than assuming that genres are self-evident categories, the contributors offer innovative ways to think about types of films, and patterns within films, in a historical context. Challenging familiar attitudes, the essays offer new conceptual frameworks and a fresh look at how popular culture functions in American society. ...
Communication & mass media complete (CMMC) by Call Number: Electronic resourceThis is the main article index for the field of Communications and Mass Media.
Film & television literature indexCall Number: Electronic resourceThis index covers over 300 journal and magazine titles for film and television reviews, scholarly and critical analysis of cinema and television, and articles of popular interest about film and television. About half the journals and magazines are film periodicals and the other half cover film and television with some regularity. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.
Performing arts periodicals databaseCall Number: Electronic resourcePerforming Arts Periodicals Database covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry - including dance, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television and more.
The web of science citation databases by Call Number: Electronic resourceThe online version of 3 separate ISI indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and, Social Sciences Citation Index.
Keeping up with Film Studies journal literature
Want an easy way to keep up with the journal literature for all facets of Film Studies? And you use a mobile device? You can install the BrowZine app and create a custom Bookshelf of your favorite journal titles. Then you will get the Table of Contents (ToCs) of your favorite journals automatically delivered to you when they become available. Once you have the ToC's, you can download and read the articles you want from the journals for which we have subscriptions.
You can get the app from the App Store or Google Play.
Don't own or use a mobile device? You can still use BrowZine! It's also available in a web version. You can get to it here. The web version works the same way as the app version. Find the journals you like, create a custom Bookshelf, get ToCs and read the articles you want.