Original scientific paper

Contemporary Croatian Urban Girls’ Fiction

Corinna Jerkin orcid.org/0000-0003-1132-3748 ; Rijeka, Croatia

Abstract

The paper analyzes four recent Croatian young adult novels; i.e. Jesam li se zaljubila? (Have I Fallen in Love?) and Što mi se to događa? (What is Happening to me?) by Sanja Pilić, Čuj, Pigi, zaljubila sam se (Listen, Pigi, I Fell in Love) by Branka Kalauz and Dnevnik prve ljubavi (The Diary of a First Love) by Silvija Šesto Stipaničić and Ratko Bjelčić. The novels are framed within women’s genre and in the sub-genre of “girl” culture. The paper demonstrates that Croatian young adult literature has similar themes to those of adult novels which are part of contemporary Croatian urban female prose, or a kind of national chick lit. It also establishes differences between the adult-oriented women’s genres and urban girls’ fiction, such as clear educational intentions, the role of the mother’s character, etc. An unavoidable link of all girls’ and female writings is romance and therefore the greatest attention is paid to the thematic elements related to love affairs. The paper substantiates the existence of contemporary Croatian urban fiction intended for girls of pre-adolescent and younger adolescent age, and describes the specific features of the genre.

Keywords

chick lit (jr.); young adult literature; romance; Croatian contemporary fiction; girls’ fiction; women’s genres

Hrčak ID:

86301

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/86301

Publication date:

29.6.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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