There was a programme, Art Lives on RTE last night, a repeat I think with Anne Marie Hourihane on Chick Lit. (She who got 9,000 Euro grant from the arts council recently) Goodness but what a facetious, biased programme it was.
Chick Lit authors are retiscent about talking about their income. Gee. I wonder why? Could it be manners? COuld it be they're not men boasting about how big their wad is?
Some chick Lit is badly written. Gee. Some crime is badly written. Some Journalism. Some children's books, lots of poetry. Oodles of films and TV programmes, music and radio shows. Why does fiction written predominantly for women, by women get so much flack?
Why if when a woman writes about relationships is it 'only' chick lit and when men do, it's deep, insightful literature?
Yes, it's an industry. Yes there are lots of books that go on a bit much about shopping and finding Mr Right but so what? They also tackle adoption, drugs, alcoholism, IVF, death, divorce etc.
5 comments:
Well said. Like any other genre it has it's chaff, but I thought Rachel's Holiday was one of the best books I've ever read about addiction. I think it's a huge challenge to write stories that are both meaningful and funny, which is something chick lit authors never shy away from.
Tell me about it. I wrote a feature about this, it's posted somewhere on my blog and there's an interesting discussion on the topic HERE :o)
I actually thought the writers featured were peculiarly defensive.
I for one don't want to read books where the characters are conforming shopaholics. I can meet people like that down town. Give me well-written books peopled with mavericks any day.
Good post!
I agree with everything you have said. if I have one problem it is that the perceived success of Chick lit has meant that more aspiring writers try their hand at it so the current volume of not very good chick lit exceeds other genres!
Its not the worst complaint though!
Eoin
Thanks for your comments. For some reason, it's contensious (sp?) subject. I wonder what the proportion of rejects is for the chicklit genre. As Eoin says, many people think they can knock one off and make a mint but then the numbers published and bought are high too.
For every Marian Keyes there's a (insert name of terrible writer here) I'm not enamoured of Sophie Kinsella for example or Celia Ahearne but it gets people reading. It gets teenage girls reading which is no bad thing. The readers and purchasers of the future.
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