TRIVIAL OR COMMENDABLE?: WOMEN'S WRITING, POPULAR CULTURE, AND CHICK LIT

Authors

  • Mary Ryan University of Limerick

Keywords:

popular culture, chick lit, women's writing, feminism, Jane Austen, cultural studies

Abstract

There are a number of similarities between popular culture and women's writing: both have been dismissed as trivial and worthless, have traditionally received little respect from critics, and have been scorned because of theis apparently "low-brow" appeal. Additionally, both were long excluded from the literary Canon. In contemporary culture, the intersection of popular culture and women's writing takes the form of chick lit, the contemporary genre of fiction starring female characters in their 20s and 30s as they make their way through their lives and tackle all the obstacles in their way. As well as outlining the characteristics and history of chick lit, this paper will discuss the negative reception that popular culture, women's writing, and chick lit has often been subjected to, and will show how studies are now emerging with the aim of demonstrating how such genres may have more worth and potential than is typically suggested.

Author Biography

Mary Ryan, University of Limerick

PhD Candidate, University of Limerick

How to Cite

Ryan, M. (2014). TRIVIAL OR COMMENDABLE?: WOMEN’S WRITING, POPULAR CULTURE, AND CHICK LIT. 452ºF. Revista De Teoría De La Literatura Y Literatura Comparada, (3), 70–84. Retrieved from https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/452f/article/view/10791