Date of Award

1-1-2016

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School/Department

Department of English

Program

Liberal Studies

Content Description

1 online resource (iv, 141 pages)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Stephen North

Committee Members

Edward Schwarzchild

Keywords

Aesthetics, Harold Bloom, Literature, Popular Fiction, Stephen King, Subjective Criticism, Popular culture and literature, Fiction

Subject Categories

Arts and Humanities | English Language and Literature | Modern Literature

Abstract

As a society we have developed a hierarchical distinction that we apply to fiction, defining some of it as superior (literature), and some of it as inferior (popular fiction). While this distinction undeniably exists, it resides in our social consciousness, and is not a delineation that is supported by demonstrable differences in the properties of the texts themselves. Rather, it serves to inflect our readings and interpretations of the texts dependent upon their categorization. This hierarchy has been constructed and imposed over time through the treatment of works by critics, academics, librarians, marketing departments, and others in a variety of attempts to exercise power over economic and cultural standings.

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