西方电影类型理论研究从二战后开始起步，主要以好莱坞电影工业和类型为研究对象展开理论建构，在西方电影研究中占有重要的位置。经过半个多世纪的积累，类型理论研究取得大量成果。类型是一个多向度的现象，包括各种系统和统治这些系统的惯例，这就使得类型这个研究对象的面目十分复杂。本文尝试将从西方类型理论研究成果按三种研究路径进行分类和归纳，分别是：文化类型理论、艺术类型理论和政经类型理论。这些研究成果展示了类型这个被文艺理论所忽略和压制的研究对象其实有很大的开拓空间。尤其是在我们目前这个文艺与商业、政治、科技等关系密切而复杂的时代，以类型作为研究对象能够将很多研究问题整合起来，形成某种综合性的研究可能。对西方类型理论最具有借鉴价值的研究路径展开梳理和评述，对国内的类型理论研究的开展也能够提供一些参考。

Theoretical studies of Western film genre started in the late 1940s, and have become significant for Western film studies. The theoretical construction has mainly been based on the Hollywood film industry and genre. After more than half a century, a lot of achievements have been made in genre studies. As a multi-dimensional phenomenon, genre includes various systems and conventions that formulate these systems, which further complicated genre studies. This article attempts to classify and summarize the findings of Western film genre theory with three theoretical approaches: cultural genre theory, artistic genre theory, as well as political and economic genre theory. These studies demonstrate the vast potential of genre theory, which used to be ignored and suppressed by literary theory. In current times when literature and art are closely related to commerce, politics, science and technology, genre studies can integrate various research issues. It would also be beneficial for domestic studies of genre theory to sort out and review the theoretical approaches of western film genre theory.