Abstract
Popular fiction has a special impact on the imagination of poverty because it is accessible and entertaining reading. Genre is of special importance in popular (as opposed to “literary”) fiction. The chapter shows that popular genre fiction can perpetuate traditional ways of perceiving poverty but also provoke a more reflected and sometimes even subversive response, depending on the handling of genre conventions. Case studies focus on popular historical fiction (by Catherine Cookson and Penny Vincenzi), crime fiction (Elizabeth George) as well as science fiction and fantasy (Jonathan Trigell, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett).
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© 2014 Barbara Korte and Georg Zipp
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Korte, B., Zipp, G. (2014). Popular Genre Fiction. In: Poverty in Contemporary Literature: Themes and Figurations on the British Book Market. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137429292_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137429292_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-49181-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-42929-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Literature CollectionLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)