Thomas Schatz is a major figure in genre theory, best known for his structural approach, especially in analyzing the classical Hollywood Western. In his seminal work Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking, and the Studio System (1981), Schatz argued that genres function like cultural myths, each organized around a set of binary oppositions such as wilderness vs. civilization or individual vs. community.
In his analysis of the Western, Schatz highlighted how the genre repeatedly dramatizes the tension between order and chaos, using a “ritualized” narrative form. The hero, often a reluctant gunfighter, serves as a transitional figure who restores balance to a morally unstable frontier society.
Schatz’s framework placed emphasis on repetition and variation, proposing that genres evolve through a dialectical process: from experimental, classical, and refined phases to ultimately parodic forms. His insights remain central to understanding how the Western articulates American ideology, masculinity, and national identity.
← Back to Articles