http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6718-5167
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ABSTRACT
This article focuses on a new trend in Russian women’s popular fiction – the inclusion of the description of current political events in texts of crime and love stories. Based both on the theoretical framework elaborated by Janice Radway (1984) and John Cawelti (1976) as well as existing studies of Russian women’s popular fiction, this article explores the peculiar features in the emergence and evolution of this genre in contemporary Russia. The article describes the gradual transition in women’s popular fiction from the neutral representation of political and social issues to the emergence of references to Russian domestic and foreign policy as well as normatively charged references to specific individuals from the Russian establishment. Moreover, in some cases, authors do not only mention political events, but they also make these a part of the plotline. As the narratives of the authors selected for evaluation are presented, both pro- and anti-government perspectives will be analyzed.
Acknowledgement
I am extremely grateful to Dr. Roman Voitekhovich for his help and comments on earlier drafts of this article. Also, special thanks must go to the anonymous peer reviewers and the editor who offered constructive feedback.
ORCID
Elena Pavlova http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6718-5167
Notes
1 Women’s popular fiction is a commercially produced literary genre written (supposedly) by women, addressed to female readers and focusing on women’s life experience, where protagonists obtain a “women’s happiness,” interpreted very stereotypically.