Potboilers - Methods, Concepts and Case Studies in Popular Fiction (Paperback, New)

"Potboilers" looks at the many forms of popular narrative - in print, film and TV. It considers the ways in they have been analyzed in literary criticism, sociology, communications, and in media and cultural studies. The book introduces and summarizes two decades of debate about mass-produced fictions and their position within popular culture. It assesses the methods that have been used in these debates, focusing both on narrative analysis and the communications process. It explores generic conventions, the role of commercial strategies, and the nature of the audience with reference to crime fiction, soap opera, romance and TV sitcoms. Distinctions between "high" and "low" culture have relegated many popular forms to the trash-can of "great" literature. This book takes stock of the methods and concepts used to analyze popular culture and argues for a non-elitist approach to the study of literature, film and television. This book should be of interest to students and teachers of media studies, communication studies, cultural studies and literature.