Abstract:
Popular fiction encompasses plot-driven works that are
intentionally crafted to align with specific literary genres, thereby appealing
to readers and enthusiasts who possess familiarity with those genres. This type
of fiction is generally differentiated from literary fiction. According to
screenwriter Robert McKee, the "specific settings, roles, events, and values
that define individual genres and their subgenres" are referred to as genre
conventions. These conventions are dynamic and subject to change; while they are
primarily implicit, publishers of fiction may occasionally articulate them
explicitly to serve as guidance for authors seeking publication. The
categorization of works into genres is often arbitrary and subjective, with no
consensus on the precise criteria that govern any particular genre or on the
overall classification of genres themselves.
Keywords: popular
fiction, mass fiction, commercial fiction, best-selling novels, didactic
novels.
Popular fiction, is plot-driven fictional works
written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to
appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre. Popular fiction is
generally distinguished from literary fiction. Screenwriter Robert McKee
defines genre conventions as the "specific settings, roles, events, and
values that define individual genres and their subgenres". These conventions,
always fluid, are usually implicit, but sometimes are made into explicit
requirements by publishers of fiction as a guide to authors seeking publication.
There is no consensus as to exactly what the conventions of any genre are, or
even what the genres themselves are; assigning of works to genres is to some
extent arbitrary and subjective. Popular fiction is often dismissed by literary
critics as being pure escapism, clichéd, and of poor quality prose (Anatomy
of Novel 17).
In literary fiction, the author is often
judged by critics on his or her grasp of the scope and nuance of the English
language, and on the lack of predictability of the narrative itself. The amount
of effort readers put into this fiction can be almost on a par with that of the
authors themselves. In order for an author to be successful in literary fiction,
positive reviews from important critics are absolutely vital. Indeed, in a very
real sense, the critics are the only audience that matters, which explains why
literary fiction often pays badly: critics get their books for free.
In the realm of popular fiction, the only
critics that truly hold significance are the readers who invest their money in
the books they select. Reviews tend to have a negligible effect on sales.
Readers evaluate an author based on their skill in transforming ordinary
language into something exceptional and in presenting well-known stories in a
captivating and original manner. The effort required from readers is minimal,
which is the essence of the genre: the primary aim is to entertain rather than
to engage them in complex exercises (Culture 48).
The underlying philosophy of much popular
fiction is more optimistic: the human condition might indeed be deplorable, but
individuals can make a positive difference in their own and others' lives. The
Muses of popular fiction are Zoroaster and Jung, the philosophy more classical
than to modern. Popular fiction is a continuation of and an embroidery upon
ancient myths and archetypes; popular fiction is good against evil, Prometheus
against the uncaring gods, Persephone emerging from hell with the seeds of
spring in her hands, Adam discovering Eve. It is very difficult to pin down the
fixed and singular point of origin of popular fiction in India or anywhere in
the world. Such a difficulty is embedded in the transient nature of popular
culture.
Gone are the days when commercial fiction
books written by western authors dominated our book shelves. Now that space is
increasingly being taken up by young Indian authors whose writing is vibrant,
personal, and clicks instantly with the reader.
These authors represent a growing breed
of young writers who are not afraid to experiment, and who share their deepest
personal stories with the readers. The fact that they are bestsellers is just
another dimension of their success stories; they are at once the author, the
promoter, the celebrity and sometimes even the agony aunt.
Popular fiction, like other forms of
popular culture, is subject to contest. Some critics regard popular fiction as a
product of democratization of fiction. On the other hand some other critics
consider it as cheap literature. For example, read the introductory paragraph
from a popular novel entitled-A Sunny
Shady Life, An Icy Hot Love by Sachinn Garg:
I am a kewl dood from Delhi hu wanna to
be on the top all the tym, cannot face double standards n hate ekta kapoor
Television serials. I am here 2 make fun lovin adventurus friends hu r wild as
I. I am a good cricket player n my friends say I am a very good dancer. And
remember, messing with Sunny is a big no-no OK? (99)
On reading this extract, one would
criticize the writer severely for lacking depth in his writing. But if one looks
at it objectively then this is the only reality we are left with.
Popular writers tend to cater to the
demands of fun. Chetan Bhagat’s first novel,
Five Point Someone, has sold over 700,000 copies. Karan Bajaj’s
debut novel
Keep Off The Grass was a bestseller with sales of more than 500,000.
Recently,
The Secret of the Nagas
by Amish is believed to have sold 70,000 copies within a few weeks of its
release. All these authors have a few things in common. They respond to the
general public taste.
Few award-winning Indian writers in
English can claim such demand for their work. Though literary fiction is not
expensive in comparison to prices abroad; books of the genre aren’t exactly
cheap. In India, literary fiction titles start at about Rs 500, and can go up to
Rs 699, for a hardcover. Paperback prices hover around Rs 300. These books are
mostly marketed as works that will appeal to a select, intellectual readership.
It’s easy to see that a reader would think many times before shelling out that
kind of cash for a book that might not be their cup of tea. On the other hand,
when a book costs approximately Rs100 or less, more people are willing to give
it a shot. As a result, there is now a rash of cheap Indian pop fiction hitting
the bookstores. Penguin has a series priced at Rs150 and Harper Collins has
titles that cost Rs195.
Regardless of how dodgy the pop fiction
might be, it is prodding our writers to tell stories that are compelling and
relevant to contemporary India. Aside from price, this is the major selling
point of books by authors like Bhagat. Readers from a variety of backgrounds are
able to relate to the situations and characters in the novels.
A national best-seller in India is almost
always a combination of three things– an IIT tag, a quintessential love story,
and eventual heartbreak. It is a foolproof campus novel with the requisite
masala – humour, friends, cusswords, sexual innuendoes, professors, girls,
examinations, and DU.
They are the sort of writers who couldn’t
get past the security guards outside plush publishing houses. Their books were
thrown routinely into the slush pile. But now, as a new generation of readers,
famished for books about themselves, buy them by the lakhs, smashing all
bestselling records, they are sending publishers into a tizzy. Never before
perhaps in the publishing business have so many editors got it so wrong for so
long.
So what’s the
secret? Love sells, especially in small towns. And
when you combine love with the anxiety that goes with growing up in the New
India—coping with board exams, parental aspirations, girlfriend troubles, job
stress—it sells lakhs of copies.
Most of them are similar. They’re written
by young authors, usually just out of college—some are still in college or even
in school. The protagonist is almost always male and north Indian. The books
follow three general trends. There are thinly disguised autobiographical
coming-of-age stories, with the writers admitting that they’ve based their books
on diaries or their experiences in school or college. There are didactic novels,
which use a story to hammer home what the author thinks is a big idea, but is
actually a sophomoric generalization about sex, society or spirituality. And
finally, there’s the out-and-out wish-fulfilment novel—usually featuring a
protagonist who is such an idealized self-image of the writer that the book
comes across as painfully narcissistic (Anatomy of Novel 57).
Students, homemakers, computer engineers
and bank presidents - anyone who can turn a phrase is picking up a pen to tell
desi love stories. And these are set not in Corfu or the Australian outback but
places like Coimbatore and Jaipur.
The themes of these romantic novels veer
from the typical boy-meets-girl tale to more adventurous and explicit content.
Take for example this excerpt from Nithya Sashi’s novel
Legal Bond:
She did a long lap and when she was about
to return, she became acutely aware of being watched. She swam to the shallow
end, stood up, and looked around. She didn’t find anyone, though the door
through which she had come was ajar. Had she not closed it? Suddenly, a soft
musky smell wafted towards her, close to her, within touching distance. Maya
gasped and turned. Ravi had entered the water silently, like a cat on the prowl,
and had enveloped her in his arms. (52)
Many of these books pay scant attention
to grammar, sentence construction and punctuation, but perfect syntax is not
what readers or publishers are looking for. And the latter offer a unique reason
for this - that these books find a wide audience among youth in small towns and
rural India, many of whom are also first-time readers.
We’ve spent decades convinced that
India’s diversity means there is no one story that all of India—or at least a
large, varied majority of Indians—will want to read or hear, unless it’s about
Bollywood or cricket. But when more than a million people enthusiastically look
forward to a book by Chetan Bhagat about regular people and banal lives, it is a
sign that there is indeed some unity in our diversity. It isn’t just the price
that is persuading them to buy a book. After all,
The Secret of
the Nagas is priced at Rs295, which is Rs100 more than the price of
The
Immortals of Meluha, the first book of Amish’s Shiva Trilogy. Yet,
its sales figures are excellent, which shows that if readers like the writing,
they aren’t averse to paying more.
The emergence of popular fiction in India
has significantly altered the literary landscape. It has succeeded in converting
many non-readers into engaged readers. The appeal of popular fiction is more
extensive than that of literary fiction on a global scale; nevertheless, this
does not imply that other genres are being overshadowed. The pivotal question is
whether authors of literary fiction can cultivate a dedicated readership that
distinguishes them from bestselling authors (Culture
78).
1.
Adorno, T.W.
Culture Industry. Routledge, 2001.
2.
Boulton, Marjorie.
The Anatomy of the Novel. London:
Routledge, 1807.
3.
Gecas, Victor. “Motives
and Aggressive Acts in Popular Fiction: Sex and Class Differences.” The
American Journal of Sociology
vol. 9, no. 2, Summer 1972,
pp. 680-696.
4.
Garg, Sachinn.
A Sunny Shady Life, An Icy Hot Love.
Srishti Publishers, 2009.
5.
Sashi, Nithya. Pageturn
Publisher, 2012.