Genre & FormFoundational
Convention
An expected pattern, device, or rule within a form or genre.
Principle
Convention is shared knowledge between writer and reader.
Takeaways
- Conventions create legibility and expectation.
- Breaking convention works only when the convention is felt.
- A convention can be refreshed through context or consequence.
Overview
A convention is a recognised formal or genre practice: the detective's reveal, the comedy's social repair, the lyric's speaker, the gothic house. Conventions are not automatically clichés; they are tools with history.
Examples
- A romance convention promises emotional resolution around the central relationship.
- A tragedy convention prepares the reader for recognition and irreversible cost.