Generic Conventions:
The traditions for each genre, helping to differentiate between divisions and subdivisions.


Example:
"I turn'd my thoughts again to the affair of establishing an academy. The first step I took was to associate in the design a number of active friends..."
-Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Explanation:
This is a short passage from the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin wrote this novel as a autobiography in order to tell his life story. This example shows how the point of view (first person) shows he is writing about himself. Generic conventions help the reader know what genre they are reading, and how reliable the information from the book will be. Generic conventions can also help the reader know the tone, mood, length, and seriousness of the work. Franklin uses the generic convention of first person to show he is writing an autobiography, so that the reader knows all the information is from the man himself.