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From paintings on cave walls to videos on Tik Tok, texts come in many shapes and sizes. To help make sense of these variations, we can classify texts by their type, form and structure.
From paintings on cave walls to videos on Tik Tok, texts come in many shapes and sizes. To help make sense of these variations, we can classify texts by their type, form and structure.
Type - the categorisation of texts according to shared purpose and characteristics. For example, a poem is a type of text.
Form - the conventional ways that texts of a particular type can be shaped. For example, a poem can take the form of a sonnet.
Structure - the way information is arranged within a text. For example, the traditional structure of a sonnet is fourteen lines of iambic pentameter.
Introduction
Introduction
Texts can be difficult to classify, but there are some conventions we can draw upon to help us know what to expect when experiencing or interpreting different kinds of texts.
Learning about the conventional types, forms and structures of texts helps us to know how creators use different mediums to engage audiences in different ways.
A Hypothetical Example
A Hypothetical Example
Let's consider an example of the benefits that texts of different types, forms and structures can offer.
Suppose we wish to raise awareness about an important issue in our local area. There are many types of texts that we could produce to best engage this audience. We could, for example, display an image in a nearby gallery, upload a video to YouTube, or submit an article to a local paper.
Once we have decided on the type of text we would like to create, we must then choose the form this piece will take. If we choose to make a submission to a local paper, our article could, for example, take the form of a passionate letter to the editor, a fiery polemic, or an in-depth feature article.
Once we have settled on a satisfactory form, we must then decide how to structure our piece. If we choose to write a feature article, we could, for example, begin with a powerful quote, a challenging rhetorical question, or a damning statistic.
Most importantly, at each stage of this process we must ask ourselves, "Which type, form or structure of text will allow me to best achieve my intended purpose?"
Understanding Type, Form and Structure
Understanding Type, Form and Structure
Different types, forms and structures of texts lend themselves to certain situations. While printing pamphlets was once an effective way to communicate political views, it is now much more common to see social media posts or online videos devoted to such purposes.
When studying such texts, we should always consider how creators make specific choices regarding the type, form and structure of their texts. We should consider the benefits, and potential problems, that come with certain mediums, and take this into account when forming our critical interpretations.
Editor's Notes
Editor's Notes
Sometimes, a creator will deliberately subvert their audience's expectations of type, form and structure.
Consider the conventions of a musical performance. Audiences can usually look forward to one or more musicians performing on stage for several hours. In 1952, however, an audience in New York State witnessed a performance that was unlike any that came before it. At one point in the concert, performer David Tudor closed his piano, set a stopwatch, and did nothing for the next four minutes and thirty three seconds.
This "song", composed by experimental artist John Cage and now known as 4'33", has fascinated and frustrated people ever since. Can such a performance be considered music, or even art?
Regardless, such an example highlights why not all texts can be neatly pigeonholed into categories like type, form and structure.
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