BSEE 37 CONTEMPORARY, POPULAR, AND EMERGENT  Beloved by Toni Morrison

LITERATURE
The work examines the destructive legacy of slavery as it
LESSON 1 chronicles the life of a Black woman named Sethe, from her
pre-Civil War days as a slave in Kentucky to her time in
WHAT IS LITERATURE?
Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. Although Sethe lives there as a free
 Etymologically, the term was derived from the Latin woman, she is held prisoner by memories of the trauma of her
word “literature,” which means “writing formed with life as a slave.
letters.”
WHAT IS POPULAR LITERATURE?
 Literature, in its broadest sense, is any written work,
although some definitions include spoken or sung  Contains writings that are intended for the masses and
texts. those that find favor with large audiences.
 It is writing that possesses literary and artistic merit.  Designed primarily to entertain.
 Literature can be classified according to whether it is a  Does not seek high degree of formal beauty and
prose, poetry, and drama. refinement.
 Prose is further divided into fiction and non-fiction.  Started from the 19th to the 20th century.
 Also, works are often categorized according to  Also known as popular fiction or genre fiction.
historical periods and the time when they were  Easy to read and understand.
written, like pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial, etc.  Writers utilize accessible language and concepts, and they
construct plots and characters for maximum entertainment
Contemporary Popular Emergent and reader engagement.
Current, living, Highly-admired, Coming into
and modern. well-praised, and view and WHAT IS EMERGENT LITERATURE?
marketable. developing.
 Refers to “coming into view or into existence”
WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE?  Developing as the time passes by.
 From postmodern to modern/contemporary literature.
 It is defined as literature written after World War II  1940’s up to present.
(1945) through the current day.
 Works of contemporary literature reflect a society’s Common Genres
social and/or political viewpoints, shown through
 Horror
realistic characters, connections to current events, and
 Romance
socioeconomic messages.
 Science Fiction
 The writers are looking for trends that illuminate
 Detective/Mystery
societal strengths and weaknesses to remind the
 Action/Adventure
society of lessons they should learn and questions they
should ask. (Ex. What does the author want us to
realize?)

Characteristics of Contemporary Literature

 Reality-based stories with strong characters and a

believable story.
 Well-defined and highly-developed characters in
realistic, sometimes harsh environment.
 Settings usually keep to the current or modern era, so
futuristic novels are rarely included in this category.
 Most writing in this category features stories that are
more character-driven than plot-driven. WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?
Examples of Contemporary Literature  Time periods when they were written.
 The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger  Started to rise after the World War II or at the end of 1945
until today.
The novel details two days in the life of 16-year-old
Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep ESSENCE AND SIGNIFICANCE
school. Confused and disillusioned, Holden searches for  Literature always has a very significant role in our society. It
truth and rails against the “phoniness” of the adult world. is because of that it gives readers the knowledge of history
He ends up exhausted and emotionally unstable. and different cultures and it makes them liberate towards
 Rabbit, Run by John Updike everything such as love, war, justice, etc.
 Contemporary literature also has a very important role
The novel depicts three months in the life of a 26-year- because it reflects a society’s social as well as political point
old former high school basketball player named Harry of views.
“Rabbit” Angstrom who is trapped in a loveless marriage  Contemporary literature helps the readers to develop their
and a boring sales job, and his attempts to escape the rational thinking.
constraints of his life.
 LESSON 2 2. NON-IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE

POPULAR LITERATURE
 Means that the words refer to meaning in dictionary.
 Popular literature contains writings that are intended  Non-fictional literature or “literature of knowledge”
for the masses and those that find favor with large includes biographies, and essays which presents actual
audiences. facts, events, experiences and ideas.
 In this lesson, you will be acquainted with the nature,
UNIVERSAL CHARACTERISTIC OF LITERATURE
appeal, and social functions of popular literature.
 Timelessness
I. UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF LITERATURE  Eternity
 Universality
How Dr. Ellis describes ‘Literature’
 Permanence
Dr. Rod Ellis known as the “Father of Second
Language Acquisition” (ASL) defines literature as: II. APPEAL

1. The verbal expression of human imagination and; Something that makes the viewers or readers attracted
2. One of the primary means by which a culture transmits and interested in the literary piece.
itself.
III. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS
What is the Nature of Literature?
 Function of Literature Entertainment Function
 Literature can be defined as an expression of human
feelings, thoughts, and ideas whose medium is Known as, “pleasure reading.” In this function, literature is
language, oral and written. used to entertain its readers. It is consumed for the sake of
 It is not only about human ideas, thoughts, and feelings one’s enjoyment.
but also about experiences of the authors. It can be
 Social and Political Function
medium for human to communicate what they feel,
think, experience to the readers. Literature shows how society works around them. It helps
the reader “see” the social and political constructs around him
Literature Based on Different Point of Views
and shows the state of the people and the world around him.
 Literature is art
 Ideological Function
 Literature is language
 Literature is aesthetic Ideological function shapes our way of thinking based on
 Literature is fictional the ideas of other people. Literature also displays a person’s
 Literature is expressive ideology placed in the text consciously and unconsciously.
 Literature is affective
 Literature is everything in print  Moral Function
 It means any writing can be categorized as literature. Literature may impart moral values to its readers. The
Literature differ from Ordinary Spoken or Written Language morals contained in a literary text, whether good or bad are
absorbed by whoever reads it, thus helps in shaping their
Literature uses special words, structures, and personality.
characteristics. Primarily the language of literature differs
from ordinary language in three ways.  Linguistic Function

1. Language is concentrated and meaningful. Literature preserves the language of every civilization from
2. Its purpose is not simply to explain, argue, or make a where it originated. They are also evidences that are certain
point but rather to give a sense of pleasure in the civilization has existed by recording the language and
discovery of new experience. preserving it through wide spans of time.
3. It demands intense concentration from the readers. It  Cultural Function
indicates that the language of literature has originality,
quality, creativity, and pleasure. Literature orients us to the traditions, folklore and the arts of
our ethnic group’s heritage. It preserves entire cultures and
Literature as Art Form creates and imprint of the people’s way of living for others to
1. IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE read, hear and learn.

 Emotional Function
 Is highly “connotative” which means words that used in
literary works have feeling and shades of meaning that Literature teaches us of many things about the human
words tend to evoke. experience. It is used to portray the facets of life that we see,
 Imaginative literature or “literature of power” includes and those that we would never dream of seeing. Literature
poems, short stories, novels, and plays. It interprets therefore, is a conduct for the chance to experience and feel
human experience by presenting actual truths about things where we can learn things about life.
particular events.
 Historical Function

Ancient texts, illuminated scripts, stone tablets, etc.

keeps a record of events that happened in the place
where they originated. Thus, they serve as time capsules
of letters that are studies by scholars and researchers of
today.

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE

 Literature improves your command of language.

 It teaches you about the life, cultures and
experiences of people in other parts of the world.
 It gives you information about other parts of the TYPES OF ROMANCE
world which you may never be able to visit in your
lifetime. a) Gothic – the settings are usually in distant regions and the
 It entertains you and provides useful occupation in stories feature dark and compelling characters. They became
your free time. popular in the late 19th century and usually had a sense of
 It makes you a wiser and more experiences person transcendence, supernatural, and irrationality. Popular Gothic
by forcing you to judge, sympathize with, or criticize novels still read by many high school students today are
the characters you read about. classics such as:
 It helps you compare your own experiences with the  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
experiences of other people.  The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
 It gives information which may be useful in other
subjects, for example, in Geography, Science, b) Historical – takes place in times long past and appears
History, Social Studies, and so on. romantic due to the adventure and wildness of the time. This
also provides value and meaning to the lifestyle of the
POPULAR LITERARY GENRES characters. The following novels fit in this sub-genre:
 The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
 Romance
 Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
 Science Fiction
 Detective Story
c) Contemporary/Modern – focuses on a love relationship and
 Comic Books
has a happy ending. There are two ways these romance
 Comic Strips
novels are written: as a series or category romance (the
author writes a succession of books that fit a theme or follow
A. Romance
a storyline) or as a single-title romance. Even more so, within
- In the strictest academic terms, a romance is a
the sub-genre romance, and as seen in many movies, there
narrative genre in literature that involves a
can be:
mysterious, adventurous, or spiritual story line
 Comedy-romance
where the focus is on a quest that involves
 Tragic-romance
bravery and strong values, not always a love
 Satire-romance
interest.
 Serious-romance
- However, modern definitions of romance also
include stories that have a relationship issue as THE IMPORTANCE OF ROMANCE
the main focus.
 Romance is a natural human emotion. Sad love songs and
Example: poems when one is recovering from a broken heart can help
express unspoken feelings.
In the academic sense, an example of a romance
 Happy romantic movies and plays help people feel optimistic
is a story in which the main character is a hero who must
that someday they will also find true love.
conquer various challenges as part of a quest. Each
 However, there is some criticism that many modern romantic
challenge could be its own story and can be taken out of
stories make people develop unrealistic views about real
the overall story without harming the plot.
relationships, as they expect love to be like it is in the movies.

B. Science Fiction
- Often called “sci-fi,” is a genre of fiction literature whose
content is imaginative, but based in science. It relies
heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as
support for its settings, characters, themes, and plot-
lines, which is what makes it different from fantasy.
- Its popularity for both writers and audiences came with
the rise of technology over the past 150 years, with
developments such as electricity, space exploration,
medical advances, industrial growth, and so on. As
science and technology progress, so does the genre of
science fiction.
TYPES OF SCIENCE FICTION 1. Post modernism
2. Mass media
a) Hard Science Fiction – strictly follows scientific 3. Lots of books are bad
facts and principles. It is strongly focused on 4. Rise of other academic subjects
natural sciences like physics, astronomy, 5. No automatic connection to a job after college
chemistry, astrophysics, etc. 6. Inaccessibility
b) Soft Science Fiction – characterized by a focus on 7. Overly-academic language
social sciences, like anthropology, sociology, 8. Death of aesthetics
psychology, and politics – in other words, sciences
involving human behavior.

In truth, most works use a combination of both hard

and soft science fiction.
LESSON 3
THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE FICTION ACTION AND ADVENTURE DRAMA

 Many times, science fiction turns real scientific ACTION GENRE

theories into full stories about what is possible
 Action is a genre that allows us to see the story through fights,
and/or imaginable.
explosions, car chases, and fit, good-looking heroes.
 Many stories use hard facts and truths of science
 An action film is based around either one person or a group
to suggest what could really happen in the future
facing challenges. Normally, involving fights, chase scenes, life-
to explore what could happen if certain events of
threatening situations, guns, explosions, and evil villain.
circumstances came to be or suggest
consequences of technological and scientific ADVENTURE GENRE
advancements and innovation.
 Adventure genre consists of books where the protagonist goes
C. Detective Story on an epic journey, either personally or geographically.
- type of popular literature in which a crime is  Oftentimes, the protagonist has a mission and faces many
introduced and investigated and the culprit is obstacles on his way.
revealed. The traditional elements of the  The adventure genre is often paired up with the action genre,
detective story are: since long epic journeys have a lot of actions in them.
1) the seemingly crime;  The adventure genre can be combined with almost any other
2) the wrongly accused suspect at whom genre; it is versatile like romance and drama in that it can be
circumstantial evidence points; meshed with almost any other genre and still work.
3) the bungling of dim-witted police; LET’S TALK ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE!
4) the greater powers of observation and
superior mind of the detective; and Author’s Biography
5) the starting and unexpected denouement,
 Joanne Kathleen Rowling, popularly known by the pen name,
in which the detective reveals how the
J.K. Rowling, was born on July 31, 1965, at Yate General
identity of the culprit was ascertained.
Hospital near Bristol and grew up in Gloucestershire in England
and in Chepstow, Gwent, in south-east Wales.
D. Comic book
 Her father, Peter James Rowling, was an aircraft engineer at the
- A magazine that presents a serialized story in
Rolls Royce Factory in Bristol.
the form of a comic strip, typically featuring
 Her mother, Anne Rowling, was a science technician in the
the adventures of a superhero. A comic is
Chemistry Department at Wyedean Comprehensive where Jo
bound collection of comic strips, usually in
herself went to school.
chronological sequence, typically telling a
 Her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Jo was
single story or a series of different stories.
a teenager and died in 1990, before the Harry Potter books
were published.
E. Comic Strips / Story Board
 The “K” in J.K. Rowling stands for Kathleen, her paternal
- A sequence of drawings, either in color or
grandmother’s name.
black and white, relating a comic incident, an
 Jo wanted to be a writer from an early age. She wrote her first
adventure or mystery story, etc., often
book at the age of six – a story about a rabbit, called “Rabbit.”
serializes, typically having dialogue printed in
At just eleven, she wrote her first novel – about seven cursed
balloons, and usually printed as a horizontal
diamonds and the people who owned them.
strip in daily newspapers.
 Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while sitting on a
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN POPULAR LITERATURE delayed train from Manchester to London King’s Cross. Over
the next five years, she began to map out all seven books of the
 Literature is in crisis. series.
 People don’t read anymore.  J.K. Rowling has been married to Dr. Neil Murray since 2001.
 Change is inevitable; the question is, what changes They live in Edinburgh with their son, David (born 2003) and
are good, and which are to be fought? daughter, Mackenzie (born 2005).
 Literature is worth fighting for.
 Note that Jo had her first marriage with Jorge Arantes in  Rubeus Hagrid
1992 and had a daughter named Jessica (born 1993) but
Played by a Scottish actor, writer, and comedian, Robbie
ended it later that year.
Coltrane is an oafish giant who works as a groundskeeper at
 J.K. Rowling has received many honors and awards,
Hogwarts. Rubeus Hagrid is a well-meaning creature with
some of which are:
more kindness than brains. He cares deeply for Harry, as
 Booksellers Association Author of the Year, 1998
evidenced by the tears he sheds upon having to leave the
and 1999.
infant Harry with the Dursleys. His fondness for animals is
 Lifetime Achievement Award, from the British Book
endearing, even if it gets him into trouble (as when he tries
Awards, 2008.
raising a dragon at home). Hagrid symbolizes the importance
 PEN America Literary Service Award, 2016.
of generosity and human warmth in a world menaced by
About Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone conniving villains.

 The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s  Albus Dumbledore

Books in June 1997, under the name J.K. Rowling. The
Played by an Irish actor and singer, Richard Harris is the
title then was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
kind, wise head of Hogwarts. Though he is a famous wizard,
 The book was published in the USA by Scholastic Books
Albus Dumbledore is as humble and adorable as his name
under a different title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s
suggests. He appears to have an almost superhuman level of
Stone, in 1998. This is because the book’s American
wisdom, knowledge, and personal understanding, and it seems
publishers feared that mention of philosophers would
that he may have set up the whole quest for the Sorcerer’s
scare away young readers.
Stone so that Harry could prove himself.
 In 2001, the film adaptation of the first book was
released by Warner Bros., and was followed by six more  Voldemort
book adaptations, concluding with the release of the
eighth film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Also known as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” is played
in 2011. by an English actor Richard Bremmer. A great wizard gone bad.
 The movie adaptation was directed by Chris Columbus. When he killed Harry’s parents, Voldemort gave Harry a
lightning-shaped scar. Voldemort has thus shaped Harry’s life
Characters so that Harry’s ultimate destruction of him appears as a kind of
vengeance. He is determined to escape death by finding the
 Harry Potter
Sorcerer’s Stone. Voldemort’s weak point is that he cannot
Played by an English actor, Daniel Radcliffe is the understand love, and thus cannot touch Harry’s body, which
protagonist of the story, who has gradually transformed still bears the traces of Harry’s mother’s love for her son.
from timid weakling to powerful hero by the end. Marked on
 Draco Malfoy
the forehead with a lightning-shaped scar, Harry is marked
also by the confrontation between good and bad magic that Played by an English actor and musician, Tom Felton is an
caused that scar: the standoff between the evil Voldemort arrogant student and Harry’s nemesis. Malfoy, whose name
and his parents who died to save their son. The story translates roughly to “dragon of bad faith,” is a rich snob from
eventually becomes a tale of Harry’s vengeance for their a long line of wizards who feels entitled to the Hogwarts
wrongful deaths. As he matures, he shows himself to be experience. He makes fun of the poorer Ron Weasley and
caring and shrewd, a loyal friend, and an excellent Quidditch advises Harry to choose his friends more carefully. As the story
player. progresses, Malfoy becomes more and more inimical to Harry
and his friends, and there is a hint that he may grow up to
 Hermione Granger
become another Voldemort.
Played by an English actress and activist, Emma Watson
 Neville Longbottom
is initially an annoying goody-two-shoes who studies too
much and obeys the school rules too zealously. Hermione Played by an English actor and producer Matthew Lewis is
eventually becomes friendly with Harry after she learns to a timid Hogwarts classmate of Harry’s. Neville is friendly and
value friendship over perfectionism and obedience. She loyal, but like Ron, he lacks Harry’s charisma. Like Hermione,
comes from a purely Muggle family, and her character he is initially too obedient, and when the time comes to go
illustrates the social-adjustment problems often faced by after the Sorcerer’s Stone, he fears punishment and threatens
new students at Hogwarts. to report his friends to the teachers.
 Ron Weasley  Minerva McGonagall
Played by an English actor, Rupert Grint is a shy, modest Played by an English actress, Maggie Smith is the head of
boy who comes from an impoverished wizard family. Ron is Gryffindor House at Hogwarts and a high-ranking woman in
Harry’s first friend at Hogwarts, and they become close. He the wizard world. Professor McGonagall is fair but extremely
lacks Harry’s gusto and charisma, but his loyalty and help are stern and severe in her punishments. Her devotion to the
useful to Harry throughout their adventures. Ron’s letter of the law is impressive but a bit cold, and we constantly
mediocrity despite his wizard background reminds us that feel that she could never become a warm and wise figure like
success at Hogwarts is based solely on talent and hard work, Dumbledore.
not on family connections. Ron’s willingness to be beaten up
by the monstrous chess queen shows how selfless and
generous he is.
 Severus Snape Terminologies in the Movie

Played by an English actor and director, Alan Rickman is  Muggle – term used to call the non-magic folks, ordinary
a professor of Potions at Hogwarts. He dislikes Harry and human beings like the Dursleys.
appears to be an evil man for most of the story. His name  Gringotts Bank – place where Harry and Hagrid took the
associates him not only with unfair snap judgments of others money provided by his parents. This is ruled by the
but also with his violent intentions to snap the bones of his goblins.
enemies.  Ollivanders – place where wizards like Harry bought their
wands. “The wand chooses the wizard.”
 Professor Quirrell
 Dark Forest – place where the most dangerous and
Played by an English actor, Ian Hart is a stuttering and bizarre creatures are found like the unicorns and Firenze,
seemingly harmless man, and a professor of Defense against the centaur.
the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Quirrell appears as nervous and  Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin – the
squirrelly as his name suggests for most of the story. It is he, four houses at Hogwarts.
for example, who nearly faints when announcing the news  Quidditch – a term used to call the wizarding sport that
that a troll is loose in the school. It turns out later, however, contains seven players: three chasers, two beaters, one
that Quirrell has faked his withdrawing meekness and is a keeper, and one seeker. This is a game that uses three
cold-blooded conniver. types of flying and levitating balls, the quaffle, bludgers,
and golden snitch.
 Vernon Dursley  Wingardium Leviosa – a magic spell used to levitate
Played by an English actor of film, television, and stage, things, such as a feather.
Richard Griffiths is Harry’s rich uncle, with whom Harry lives  Caput Draconis – the password used to open the
for ten miserable years. Dursley symbolizes the Muggle dormitories of Gryffindor students.
world at its most silly and mediocre. It is through Mr.  Fluffy – the three-headed dog owned by Hagrid that is
Dursley’s jaded Muggle eyes that we first glimpse wizards, used to protect the Sorcerer’s stone.
and his closedmindedness toward the colorful cloaks and  Troll – the pea-brained mountain monster that Harry and
literate cats that he meets emphasizes how different the Ron knocked out to save Hermione.
human and wizard worlds are.  Devil’s Snare – the monstrous vines faced by Harry and
his friends while finding and protecting the stone from
 Petunia Dursley Voldemort.
 Flying Keys – a group of keys with feathers. One of which
Played by an Irish actress and theater and opera
was used by Harry and his friends to open the door
director, Fiona Shaw is Mr. Dursley’s wife. Petunia is an
towards the stone.
overly doting mother to her spoiled son, Dudley, and a
 Wizard’s Chess – a game played by Harry and his friends
prison-keeper to Harry. She is haughty and excessively
concerned with what the neighbors think of her family. She is to protect the stone from Voldemort.
somewhat humanized for us when we discover that she was  Invisibility Cloak – a gift from James, Harry’s father that
always jealous of the magical gifts of her sister, Lily, Harry’s helped him and his friends to hide.
witch mother. Perhaps her malevolence toward Harry  Mirror of Erised – shows the deepest and most desperate
springs from an earlier resentment of her sister. desires of our hearts.
 Nicholas Flamel – the maker and owner of the legendary
 Dudley Dursley Philosopher’s or Sorcerer’s Stone.
 Philosopher’s or Sorcerer’s Stone – a legendary substance
Played by an English actor, Harry Melling is Harry’s
with astonishing powers. It transfers any metal into pure
cousin, a spoiled, fat bully. Annoying and loud, Dudley
gold. It produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the
manipulates parental love to get what he wants—his
drinker immortal.
outrageous desires for multiple television sets foreshadow
the important scenes involving the Mirror of Erised and the What are the issues present in the piece?
wrongful desire for eternal life that motivates Voldemort.
Dudley’s tormenting of Harry foreshadows Malfoy’s later a) Bullying – this was shown in the characters of Dursley
bullying tendencies at Hogwarts, though he is less gifted than family and Draco Malfoy as they try to verbally and
Malfoy. sometimes physically abuse Harry and his friends.
b) Poverty – this was specifically shown by Ron when he was
Setting riding the train together with Harry when a lady offered
them treats to buy.
 The story and/or the film happened in two different
c) Social Stratification – those kids who were from famous
places:
families of wizards seemed to rule the school and those
 Privet Drive in Little Whinging in the country of
who were not are not seen.
Surrey where the Dursley family and Harry are living
d) Wrong Parenting Style – this was shown through the
for years.
characters of Dudley Dursley and Draco Malfoy.
 Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a literary piece
under the action and adventure genre.
 LESSON 2.1  It is generally conceived as the social space in which different
Concepts and Terminologies in Contemporary and Popular opinions are expressed, problems of general concern are
Literature discussed, and collective solutions are developed
communicatively.
TELEVISION AND SERIAL FICTIONS  The public sphere is the central arena for societal
 Television and serial fictions are those television communication.
programs that involve a long narrative, which slowly  In large-scale societies, mass media and, more recently,
unfolds over the course of an entire show, from the online network media support and sustain communication in
pilot episode to the finale. the public sphere.
 They are designed to be watched in order, with POPULAR CULTURE
viewers turning in each week to get the next
installment of the story.  According to the founder of Pop Culture Studies, Ray
 To keep track, viewers of television and serial fictions Browne, “popular culture consists of the aspects of attitudes,
must watch the episodes in order, for they will quickly behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people
lose track of what is going on if they miss or scramble of any society.”
episodes.  Popular culture is, in the historic use of term, the culture of
 Soap operas are perhaps the epitome of these, with the people.
plots that stretch over the course of years and  Professor and pop culture expert, Dustin Kidd offers a very
decades. similar definition. He states that, “popular culture is the set
 In television and serial fictions, instead of getting a of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most
completed television show at once, broadcasters broadly shared meanings of a social system.”
deliver it to you in episodes (where one is connected  According to him, it includes media objects, entertainment
to the other). and leisure, fashion and trends, and linguistic conventions
 Television and serial fictions are those fictions where among other things.
one or more plots develop over multiple installments.  So far, these two definitions tell us that popular culture
 The events of one installment have consequences for comprises of things that are widelyaccepted, habitually-
the next installments– there is “no resetting of the encountered, and largely-approved or favored by a society at
world.” a particular time.
 Television and serial fictions must be watched in  Oxford Reference states that, “popular culture is media
order to make sense. content or cultural artifacts produced for mass audiences.”
 Stranger Things, Korean Dramas, Grey’s Anatomy are  Pop culture is “mass culture.” It is the standardized
just some of the examples of these. commercial products and media texts produced for the
masses.
EPISODIC TELEVISION AND FICTIONS  In the book “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” written by
 Episodic television and fictions refer to a set of the media specialist, John Storey, defined pop culture in six
episodes in a series that have the same characters, ways, but let us just focus on the first as the other coincide
setting, and plot conceit, but the story arc in each with the previous definitions we have had.
episode is self-contained, or mostly self-contained.  John Storey said that “popular culture is simply culture that is
 In episodic television and fictions, each episode widely-favored or well-liked by many people.”
establishes a story problem and arc, and that arc is  This talks about the quantitative marks. Things that are
resolved by the end of the episode. popular, blockbusters, hit the charts, best sellers, high in
 Episodic television and fictions involve episodes that ratings that are approved by the masses.
can be watched alone. True Meaning of Zombie Apocalypse
 What happens in each episode has little or no impact
on the series as a whole.  Zombie
 Cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants and Oggy and - It came from the Haitian creole term “zonbi,” which
the Cockroaches are some of the examples of these. means “undead, flesh-eating, and decaying corpse.”
- A zombie, according to pop culture and folklore, is
Telling their Difference usually either a reawakened corpse with a ravenous
 There are two questions you can ask to figure out if a appetite or someone bitten by another zombie infected
series is serialized or episodic: with a “zombie virus.”
 Can it be watched out of order and still mostly - Zombies are usually portrayed as strong but robotic
make sense? Then it is “episodic.” beings with rotting flesh. Their only mission is to feed.
 Do the events of one episode have a lasting  Zombie Apocalypse
effect on the next or subsequent episodes? Then - A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario within
it is “serialized apocalyptic fiction. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread
rise of zombies' hostile to human life engages in a
THE PUBLIC SPHERE general assault on civilization.
- Zombie apocalypse is a genre of fiction in which
 The English term public sphere is a direct translation
civilization collapses due to overwhelming swarms of
of the German term “offentlichkeit,” which means
zombies.
“the public” or “publicness.”
 Apocalyptic Fiction  Sexual Orientation - a component of identity that
- Apocalyptic fiction is a term used to describe includes a person's sexual or emotional attraction to
stories dealing with the end of civilization, usually another person.
due to some kind of catastrophe. Most of these  Gender and sexuality in popular fiction is indeed diverse.
stories fit into the science fiction genre, at least to Today, many authors are not afraid to write stories that
some extent, but they can also bring in fantastical involve intimate relationships among homosexual
elements. characters.
 Tomboys, who are the forthright, self-reliant, and self-aware
POPULAR FICTION girls also became popular. One great example of this is Jo
 Popular fiction, also known as “genre fiction,” refers to March from Little Women.
the various fiction genres and types that have been  Feminism, transgenderism, gender fluidity, and queerness
proven to be popular with wide audiences. are some of the themes that emerged and became hot
 This is opposite from literary fiction, which tends to be topics in popular fiction.
more academic, invites analyses and has a narrower
market among the scholarly.
 The focus of most popular fiction is the plot. Readers
want to see a well-defined and interesting plot, with
plenty of complications and conflicts to keep them
entertained.
 The conflicts may be physical between characters or
may involve problems that characters must solve.
 The purpose of popular fiction is to appeal to the
general public. It must be written in a way that sells.
 Therefore, it is marketed or sold toward the interests of
the public.

Readers of Popular Fiction

 Popular fiction has a wide array of readers. The

following are some of their characteristics:
 Undiscriminating, without judgment, a passive
consumer gulping down rubbish by the gallon
(Orwell, 1936).
 Imagined as solitary, obsessed, his or her
engagement with texts virtually masturbatory in
the intensity of its self-pleasuring (Humble, 2012).
 Deeply knowledgeable and passionately engaged
with a book, author, or genre, and active
participants in the non-academic reception of these
cultural products (Driscoll, 2016).
 Loyal and those who can build themselves around
not just a writer and his or her body of work but
the entire genre and the culture that imbues it
(Gelder, 2004).

Gender and Sexuality in Popular Fiction

 To better understand gender and sexuality in popular

fiction, it is a must to discuss first the differences they
possess:
 Gender – refers to the attitudes, feelings, and
behaviors that a culture associates with a person’s
biological sex. In other words, gender is a social
construct and a social identity.
 Sex – describes the biological sex a person was
assigned at birth.
 Gender Identity – a component of gender that
describes a person’s psychological sense of their
gender. It is a personal and inherent part of an
individual’s sense of self.
 Gender Expression – the way people present
themselves through their external appearance and
behavior with things like clothes, voice, etc.