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https://doi.org/10.15291/sic/2.16.lc.1
“If not for her, nobody here would be reading this book”: Exploring Literary vs. Popular Fiction and Translation in Book of Love (2022)
Jelena Pataki Šumiga
Sažetak
A work of popular culture celebrating its own genre, the romantic comedy Book of Love (2022) can be used to explore the relationship between literary and popular fiction, as defined by Ken Gelder (2004). The film focuses on Henry Copper, a lackluster British debut author, and María Rodríguez, his Mexican ‘traduttore, traditore’ who rewrites Henry’s novel into a steamy romance bestseller. As such, the film juxtaposes literary and popular fiction authors and celebrates the skills and practices behind popular fiction, especially romance and its portrayal of desire. Adopting Janice A. Radway’s view that reading romance is a feminist act, the film’s heroine not only reads but also writes romance to assert her identity and reclaim her power from her patriarchal surroundings. Finally, Book of Love explores the contested issue of literary translators’ authorship by following María from an unrecognized contributor to Henry’s book’s success to an independent author. In discussing these three topics, as Book of Love depicts them, this paper argues that romance, as a popular fiction genre, should be recognized not only for its entertainment but also for its (feminist) agential and academic potential.[
Ključne riječi
literary fiction, popular fiction, romance, desire, author, translator, Book of Love
Hrčak ID:
349039
URI
Datum izdavanja:
23.6.2026.
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