One of the most popular emerging literary genres since the 1990s is Chick Lit, known for it's openness and almost chatty style, usually covering issues such as relationships, dating and love, written by women for women. Some novels in the genre have become phenomenally successful, and can be seen as Sex and the City in literary form, as the characters can seem like a best friend, dealing with the trials of realistic, everyday events with a dash of humour. Chick Lit books are fun and enjoyable to read, while providing guidance to help in many situations.
Bridget Jones: the symbol for singletons
One of the most popular novels that kick-started the Chick Lit genre is Bridget Jones's Diary. Helen Fielding's 1996 novel tells the story of Bridget Jones, a single woman in her thirties and her romantic disasters, influenced heavily by the Jane Austen novels Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.The novel is written in diary form, which has been much-imitated in novels since. Bridget is an easy character for women to relate to, and she soon became a universal symbol of a so-called “singleton”. The novel and its sequel, The Edge of Reason were also both adapted into successful movies staring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.
Chick Lit on the big screen
Due to the light, humorous themes usually underpinning Chick Lit novels, they convert well to the big screen, with the movie rights for new books often being snapped up even before publication.
One recent such success story is The Devil Wears Prada written by Lauren Weisberger. The film loosely based around the novel about a struggling fashion magazine editor, and starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep received rave reviews internationally and won numerous awards.
Other popular books that have attracted lots of attention include the Shopaholic series written by Sophie Kinsella, which will be released as a film in 2008, and The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank, which also has a movie version in the works, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.
jwi, 18.01.07 |
