by Marco Fiori

Created on: September 06, 2009

All around the world sit professors of English Literature, sipping their Earl Grey teas and gently scoffing to themselves about the influx of popular fiction. It's been this way for two hundred years and it's unlikely to change any time soon. What's mildly amusing is when you consider that the classics they so worship were originally criticised for being the popular art form of their time. Alas, it seems that if you're writing, composing or creating new art, it will always be thought of as inferior and the argument between Literature and Popular Fiction will remain on our debating tongues for many years to come.

To get our heads around such a vague set up, literature versus popular fiction, we must first decide what's meant by the two terms. The literary canon, while widely thought of as a defunct idea, still rears its problematic head in such an argument. Shakespeare, Dante, Austen, and Bronte - they all sit firmly in what the general populace call literature. Anything post-war appealing to a commercial audience (i.e. heavily biased to consumerist incentive), can be considered popular fiction. Ian Flemming's James Bond series for example is a prime example of popular fiction.

It's unable to sit calmly for analysis, (a factor that often denotes what literature is), and it has managed to sell by the bucket load. Yet, problematically, there are many students who have units aptly named 'Popular Fiction' in their English Literature degrees. Is this purely to entertain young minds, or is there actually no difference between the two? Have we had the wool pulled over our eyes and been given a pseudo barrier to coax us into literary separation?

You can argue yes and no. Without a pretentious barrier in place, how will we separate each other? It'll sharply devalue our literary knowledge if we consider a connoisseur of Harry Potter as on the same level as a lecturer who is familiar with 17th century literature. Maybe we should. After all, the way texts are written or their capitalist success / motives shouldn't impact how interpret them. Maybe there should be a world-wide ban on being cultured and actually knowing something about literature.

Feel free to lead the popular fiction revolution. Get rid of the obstacles and head forth to book clubs and spread the message that it's all the same. Or, if you're like me - chuckle to yourself as the sheep flock to read the latest novel in the Twilight series while boiling the kettle and relaxing with your dog-eared copy of Tristram Shandy.

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