AHHH - A TOPIC OF SUCH DELICACY!

The field will be split on this one!

I think all critics will agree that pop culture references really date a piece. How can it be otherwise? Refer to a 'Friends' episode, and you date the piece n the late twentieth/early twenty-first century. Mention a Hollies song, and you're back in the 1960s. Your character speaks on his new RAZR phone - you see where I'm going with this?

In my opinion, there are only two ways to successfully use pop culture references.

IN A HISTORICAL SETTING

Use pop culture reference as part of the historical background your are building. In the same way as you would describe the sights and sounds of a medieval street, so the sights and sounds of a 1970s street can be built around transistor radios, T-Rex songs and midi skirts. Pop culture isn't just pop music, it can encompass all popular, transitional trends or the common people. Chav culture is prevalent at the moment, Punk ruled the '70s. References will all date your piece.

TO AGE YOUR CHARACTER

Pop culture references coming from characters within your writing will date them and add authenticity to your characterization. A detective humming The Pushbike Song is likely to be in his fifties. A businessman with pointed shoes and brylcreme'd hair would be slightly older. One example can be seen in Ian Rankin's Rebus novels, where the main character finds that certain situations make him think of song titles.

The main message here is USE WITH CAUTION. Pop culture references will date your work - make sure you're doing it on purpose and not by accident.

Learn more about this author, Susan Hibberd.
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