genre proposal: historical precedent

This is Draft 2: (For Draft 1 and notes, as well as everything written below and more, go to my blog entry "new genre proposal: editable")

I would like to propose a look at the historical 'growth' of genres. Looking at some different, widely accepted 'genres' and their changes over time. With six weeks, a look at three different 'genres,' giving two weeks to each would be proposed, although of course this is not strict. We would be asking the questions of what changed? What grew, what remained the same? Are these two even the same genre? and whatever other inquiries come to mind. Would we read academic criticism?

Some 'imaginative test cases': a) comic books. For example, looking at the original Iron Man or some other 'hero' centered comic and then Watchmen or 1602 (your traditional Marvel heroes appear decades before their 'times'). b) movies. Look at either the Western or Noir movies, classics and then modern (often darker) examples of these genres. For film-noir we could look at The Big Sleep and then L.A. Confidential, a neo-noir. c) gothic romance. For example look at the break-away novel by Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, and the Mysteries of Udolpho (which is mentioned/made fun of in Northanger Abbey). d) science fiction. We could look at some of beginning pulp classics (some research would be required to find out exactly what to read for that) and then some later classic pieces by Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Heinlein, or others. (Short stories, mostly.)

I would rather not look at databases/archives or other mainly-internet-based genres (they seem too closely related to blogs, and I am looking forward to something that can take us in new directions).