A GROUP OF THE “BLUEBEARD” FAIRYTALE MOTIVES IN A KITSCH CHICK-LIT NOVEL “FIFTY SHADES OF GREY” BY E. L. JAMES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2311-259X.2017(4)369Keywords:
mass literature, chick-lit, erotic novel, bestseller, categories of Eros and Thanatos, kitschAbstract
The major objective of this study is to investigate the erotic bestseller by E. L. James “Fifty shades of grey” as an example of the chick-lit genre. Central to the entire novel the notion of “chick-lit” is a genre of modern postfeministic prose, engaging itself with popular and witty writings about independent young women who most often live in megalopolises, work and look for their love.
Drawing upon the peculiarities of its formation we must state that the trilogy “Fifty shades...” is a fanfic on the world-famous saga "Twilight", which is in its turn a paranormal novel. Thus we state that recent trends have led to a proliferation of internet literature, which promotes popularization of mass literature writings, which are well sold. Despite being popular, a bestseller suffers from being secondary. Previous evidence suggests that the novel possesses kitsch characteristics, exploiting excessive emotions that lead to a sadistic relationship.
What we can state about the novel is largely based upon Z. Freud’s studies that investigate how the masochistic-sadistic relations function. Thus, a major conflict of the novel can be explained through the interaction of Eros and Thanatos. Sadomasochism is perceived as an act of all-destroying power, which satisfies interests of the modern reader. In this context, love, losing its sublime qualities, embodies individual and social suffering.
To conclude with, we can say that like the Bluebeard, the main character of the new novel invites the heroine to get acquainted with his mansion, but unlike the old fairy tale, the 21st century novel offers an immediate initiation into the mystery of the main character. It turns out that if the hero of Charles Perrault punishes for curiosity, the modern tyrant gives punishment as a variant of love. Postmodern world-chaos alters a classical pattern of functioning motives and reinterprets the value of pervasive archetypes in the collective unconscious.Downloads
References
REFERENCES (TRANSLITERATED)
Adorno V. Jesteticheskaja teorija (Filosofija iskusstva). – Moscow: Respublika, 2001. – 448 p. (in Russian)
Andreeva A. A. Jazykovaja kartina mira v zagolovkah sovremennyh anglojazychnyh bestsellerov // Vojadzher: mir i chelovek. – 2015. – № 5. – P. 127–130. (in Russian)
Berger P., Lukman T. Social'noe konstruirovanie real'nosti. Traktat po sociologii znanija. – Moscow: Medium, 1995. – 323 p. (in Russian)
Hundorova T. Tranzytna kultura. Symptomy postkolonialnoi travmy: statti ta esei. – Kyiv: Hrani-T, 2013. – 467 p. (in Ukrainian)
Hundorova T. Kitch i literatura. Travestii. – Kyiv: Fakt, 2008. – 284 p. (in Ukrainian)
Denisova A. Fanfikshn kak subkul'tura i fenomen massovoj literatury // Analitika kul'turologii. – 2012. – #24. – P. 141–143. (in Russian)
Dzhejms E. L. Pjat'desjat ottenkov serogo / Erika Leonard Dzhejms. – Moscow: Eksmo, 2012. – 528 p. (in Russian)
Remaeva Ju. G. Postfeministskaja proza Britanii na rubezhe XX–XXІ v. (fenomen «chiklit») : abs. of PhD’s thesis: 10.01.03. – Nizhnij Novgorod, 2007. – 21 p. (in Russian)
Filonenko C. Masova literatura v Ukraini: dyskurs / gender / zhanr : monograph / Cofiia Filonenko. – Donetsk: Landon ХХI, 2011. – 430 p. (in Ukrainian)
Frejd Z. Vvedenie v psihoanaliz: lekcii. – Moscow : АSТ, 2008. – 606 p. (in Russian)
Frejd Z. Po tu storonu principa udovol'stvija. – Kharkiv : Folio, 2009. – 286 p. (in Russian)
Fromm E. Anatomija chelovecheskoj destruktivnosti. – Мoscow: АSТ, 2015. – 624 p. (in Russian)
Carter A. Nights at the circus. 1984. 192 p. – URL: https://www.scribd.com/document/147558150/Nights-at-the-Circus-Angela-Carter.
Carter A. The Sadeian Woman: And the Ideology of Pornography. Pantheon Books, 1978. 154 p.
Harris D. Kitchefication of September 11. – URL: https://www.salon.com/2002/01/26/kitsch_2.
Gall C. Are They Fact or Are They Fiction? The Sadeian Women of Angela Carter. Thesis of master of arts. 1999. – URL: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1654.
Glasburgh Michele M. Chick lit: the new face of postfeminist fiction? A Master’s Paper for the M.S. in L.S degree. November, 2006. 97 p. – URL: http://etd.ils.unc.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/1901/349/1/micheleglasburgh.pdf.
Broch H. Kitsch and Tendentious Art // Geist and Zeitgeist. The Spirit in an Unspiritual Age. New York: Counterpoint, 2002. P. 31–39.
Marble Anne. Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Romances. – URL: http://www.writing-world.com/romance/fantasy.shtml.
Solomon R. On Kitsch and Sentimentality // The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 1991. Vol. 49. #1. P. 1–14.
The New York Times Best Sellers. – URL: https://www.nytimes.com/books/ best-sellers/?mcubz=1.
Widmer P. Zum Problem des Todestriebs // Psyche. 1984. #38. P. 1059–1082.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
