Genre's Function...

I would say that genre is created by the consumer who likes it and continues to like the product. Certain genres just don't pop up one day and begin with a huge audience, it usually takes some time to create these so called genre's. Artists sure do have a hand in creating a certain genre but its also the idea of taking ideas from the past and changing them to make those ideas your own. Some scholars can try to make genres and but pieces of work where they think it belongs but the viewer may have a different idea where those works should belong.

I think genre is the need to have something classified, its a term to describe a certain way it looks or sounds. It's all making it up as it goes along, because what happens when you have 2 genres in one? Do you put it under one or both, or neither. Its an opinion on how the works are seen and viewed by their viewers/fans. I think it all performs a function to keep everything in a certain area and keep order with these works. But an artist can create a piece of work and be classified in a certain genre because Scholars think that is where the artist should be. Even though at one time the artist may have never had the intention to be under a so called genre.