John Cawelti

Cawelti believed...       

• Genres are like a myth.
• Genres of film tell society about themselves.
• The popularity of a genre, reflects the values and beliefs of society today. 

E.g.

• "Orange is the new Black" is a very popular TV show and tells us that society today are interested in what happens in prison. 
• "Legally Blonde" is a chick-flick film and is popular, which tells us that woman are starting to stand up and become feminists and getting well paid jobs.

In my opinion I understand and believe in Cawelti's theory as popular genres of film affect the audience watching, as they start to act similar.