CHICK LIT: CULTURAL MOBILITY AND ENGLISH LITERARY

STUDIES
by Safitri Bonea Palakkarisma

ABSTRACT

So far, the study of literature has been centered only in canon literature. As a
restrictive institutions, canon literature, never allow pop literature to be the part of
literary studies. The development of cultural mobility leads us to open more chances
to pop literature to stand equally with canon literature in literary studies. The
development of cultural mobility also has changed the society significantly,
especially relate to women issues. In this case, the idea that is brought by chick lit as
the product of pop literature show that the study of literature should be developed. It
then challenge canon literature to open its door for pop literature especially chick lit
to be the part of literary studies. This paper primarily discusses the shift of women
issue in the study of literature as reflected in the idea that is brought by chick lit. It
shows us the importance of chick lit to be the part of literary studies. Confession of
Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is one of those products. The idea that is brought by
the writer depicts the real issue of women nowadays which sometimes create counter
culture due to the cultural mobility.

Introduction

Globalization has drawn the life of society into high mobility in which culture
can be easily exchanged. It then creates many problems of culture and identity. The
exchange of culture does not only go around the way of life but also in the case of
literature. The mobility of information and people drag English Literature into
broaden definition.

‘It is a truth universally acknowledges that we live in an intensely mobile society.

Setting aside for a moment all of the major manifestations of the heightened mobility
characteristic of the modern world—jet travel, the internet, global trade, complex
interlocking networks of information and technology, and the like—the simple
phenomenon of an undergraduate education at an institution such as ours assumes
and indeed requires mobility.’ (Greenbalt 2004, accessed 15 august 2011)

English literature has been considered as canonical in the study of Literature.

So far, the students of literature learn the canon literatures which were produced by
the old writers. The study of English Literature in third world country is also focused
on that kind of literature, beside Old Greek Literature which also dominates.
According to Lauter, the canon of literature is the works from the past that we
continue to read, teach, and write about (1987). It is the main readings and becomes
the base for English Literature students to study literature. Until a literature has a
"canon," it has been argued, it has not risen to the level of sophistication at which it
can be studied seriously by scholars
(http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng211/canon_of_english_literature.htm).
The development of writings in this global era is fast. This is due to the rapid
mobility of culture in this fast instant world. All these writings are focused on a
specific problem that is faced by modern people. The discussion of women’s
problem has also changed significantly in this post-feminism era. It is not about
women as subordinate, but independent women with their so many problems. Pop
literature, in this case is chick lit, is a genre comprised of books that are mainly
written by women for women. There is usually a personal, light, and humorous tone
to the books. The plots usually consist of women experiencing usual life issues, such
as love, marriage, dating, relationships, friendships, roommates, corporate
environments, weight issues, addiction, and much more (chicklits.com 2009).
Confession of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is a novel about American
independent women with all modern stuffs, about shopping, credit card, job, and
love. The issue that is depicted by Kinsella shows the reality of women’s stuff which
is happened especially in the West culture as the shifting of social conditions and
problems of counter culture. Cultural mobility in this global era has transformed the
role of women and the depiction of woman in English literature. Cultural mobility
makes this culture is exchanged to another culture and become the basic idea of
women in this century.
‘Each of these movements implies a history of cultural adjustment and
accommodation—from the learning of languages to the transformation of gender
roles, from new foods to new laws—that has inevitably left traces in the lives of the
individuals.’ (Greenbalt, 2004, accessed 15 august 2011)
This transformation is significance in the study of woman in English
literature. Literature is reflection of an era, and Confession of Shopaholic reflected
the post-feminism problems of many American women in the attack of sophisticated
world. Stephen Greenblatt sees works of art, such as literature, as “fields of force,
places of dissension and shifting interests, occasions for the jostling of orthodox and
subversive impulses” (Young 2009). Literature as the reflection of the society grows
in the line with the growth of the society and provides a place for controlling the
social system through the story and the writer’s background. In the past, English
Literature about women was also reflected the real situation of either the story or the
writer. The study of literature is now should be developed as the mobility
transformed the situation and the life of the writer nowadays, as what Greenbalt
stated that undergraduate education at an institution requires mobility.
Unfortunately, the development of non-canonical English writings has not
been considered significance in the study of English Literature, especially in the third
world country. The shifting of gender role and problems has to be followed by the
incorporating of pop literature to the study of women in English literature. Pop
literatures are often neglected as its differentiation with canon literature. However,
pop literature especially chick lit give a wide chance for students to analyze with the
background of their own society and they will be able to see the real hitherto
phenomenon.
Lillian S. Robinson considers canon literature as restrictive institutions
without anyone’s ever seeming to inculcate or defend them, and the other meaning of
canon to establish standards of judgment and of taste (1983). The study of English
literature is imprisoned in this institution in which society’s background of the
literature has changed significantly, especially in women’s issues. It will be difficult
for students to understand and to develop their critical thinking in literary studies due
to the restrictions given by canon institutions. It is not that when we study, for
example, Scarlet Letter we will get stuck in the social background which is never be
experienced before but the students will not able to analyze a new thing as the
judgment of canon literature has been publicly produced by many literary critics. In
addition, the problem also goes to the cultural and social mobility of the era. Pop
literature, in this case chick lit, opens the students in literary studies not only to go
around the canon literature with its established judgment and with its old social
background, but also the wider interpretation and analysis of the new product of
literature.
 Many writers are now emerge especially women, they tend to write what they
experience as women in the post feminism era, and chick lit is their product.
Confession of Shopaholic is one of the most popular Chick lit. Sophie Kinselle, the
writer, tries to reflect what happened with women nowadays. The study of English
literature is now challenged by this phenomenon in which popular literatures
dominate the market and ask to be the part of English literature.

Cultural Mobility and the Shifting of Women’s Issues in English Literature

Chick lit emerges as the product of women for women. It is considered as

post feminism product as it often conflicting the women stereotype in the society.
Post feminism also incorporate five important aspects in the study of Chick flick-
Chick lit; attitude, rejecting the blame feminist put on patriarchy, individual choice
on how to be feminine, a return to feminity and sexuality, and having pleasure in
media-driven popular culture and an embracing of the joys of consumerism (Ferris &
Young). In Chick lit, according to Ferris & Young, the heroine is a young,
professional, white, middle-class heterosexual. She falls short of the cultural ideal in
looks and is especially unhappy with the current state of her uncoupled life. This
reflection may not suit to the real happening because chick lit often constructed by
the popular want, but still what Chick lit brings is the reflection of women in the
wave of post feminism in which women has been an independent individual and
brave in transgressing the established norm in the society.
We can put chick lit together with the writings of Jane Austen and Charlotte
Bronte and compare the women issues reflected by those writers in their era when
women are strong but under different circumstances. It was when women still
considered as subordinate who only worked with their domesticity as a lady or not.
The shifting of interpretation of women issues here can be seen in the case on how
women are actually strong, but the society makes them depressed. The context of
society here is indeed different because cultural mobility changed significantly.
Just like what Greenbalt explained that we are now living in an intensely
mobile society. Culture and custom has changed, technology and instant stuffs
control our life. These changes also lead into the problems of counter culture that is
faced by women. These changes can not be avoided because people need
development. English literature indeed can not go far from these changes. This
cultural mobility produces many pop literary works which reflected-although
influenced by popular want- cultural mainstream of nowadays society. In cultural
mobility, everything is being exchanged, the culture from one place to another and
from one time to another time.
Greenbalt’s concept of mobility considers that literature reflects cultural
power of constraint and mobile. In the case of mobile, literary works has significant
role to reflect the society that is needed for not only the development of literary
criticism but also for the reflection of the society. In this case, pop literature
especially chick lit is very important to be the part of English Literary Studies for
undergraduate students. Canon literature, as the early foundation of English
literature, should be used as the base for students to study literature without
prohibiting the student’s of English literature to analyze the new popular culture
products.
Pop literary work that is being focused in the research of this article is
Confession of Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. The women writer in this chick lit is a
British modern woman who has her education in New College, Oxford and worked
as a journalist. As a journalist indeed Kinsella does many mobile activities include
moving to Manhattan for her novel research. Kinsella experienced many exchange
activities which made her able to write such a phenomenal novel. Although, she is
British she can clearly describe her main character’s life in Manhattan. This is
resulted from the popular cultural mainstream that happened towards women
nowadays and of course her life as a woman in this post feminism era.
Confession of a Shopaholic tells about Rebecca Bloomwood who is a
Shopaholic-having a great desire for shopping. She depends a lot with credit card
which ruins her life. Rebecca works as a journalist in a floral magazine, and she has
ambition to work in the biggest fashion magazine in Manhattan. Her way to be the
part of Alette magazine leads her to meet Luke Brandon who later becomes her
lovers. Rebecca is successfully become a writer in a money magazine-successful
saving due to misunderstanding that create an irony for her failure in using credit
card and her role as financial expertise.
 Rebecca stays strong in the attack of debt collector, and struggle over her
desire to use credit card more to only fulfill her desire. She is such a woman who
cares a lot towards fashion and that what makes her trapped in the dream that created
by credit card. No society’s interfere in the choices she makes and she can do
whatever she want individually. In the end, Rebecca is able to cure her shopping
syndrome after loosing her best friend’s trust only for her ambition.
Kinsella creates Bloomwood as a really woman in post feminism era who is
strong despite all of the failure she made. It is social and cultural changes that make
Kinsella create such a character. Literary works in the past time depicted women as a
strong woman but they were suffering due to the society’s stereotype. Today’s issue
of women will eliminate this stereotype in the mainstream of post feminism which
conflicting most of women’s idea from the past time. This idea is mobile from the
time women as subordinate until now women can stand in front of the man. As what
Greenbalt stated, Kinsella depicts Rebecca as a woman in the intensely mobile
society and the problem’s of technology, in this case is credit card, one card that can
fulfill all her needs in a second.
The emerging of chick lit becomes a new means of social criticism as what
canon literature experienced in the past time. The study of popular literature will be
great efforts especially for undergraduate students to have a critical thinking toward
literary products and the social changes that struck us in the domain of cultural
mobility. Literary criticism is now not only limited to the high literature in which the
language and the social background is different. Studying how literature is created
and testing claims for its place in the canon makes us better readers, more aware of
the poets' choices and the strategies guiding them
(http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng211/canon_of_english_literature.htm). Canon
literature will be a great basic and guidance for students to criticize and to analyze
the pop literature in the cultural mainstream and the problems of counter culture.
Counter culture has been the result from cultural mobility. What woman could not do
in the past is now a possible thing to do by women and what is considered taboo in
the past is now a normal thing for the society.
As what Robinson stated about canon as an institution which establish
judgment and standard, canon literature will create a boundaries towards the produce
of English literature because it is a restrictive institutions. Pop literature allows us to
have a wide interpretation in the study of English literature since various approaches
can be applied. Canon literature seems to have a limitation toward interpretation
because the issue in the past is not as complicated as now. It is mobility that work in
the woman issue as the main topic of most English literature, either canon or pop.
The issue in chick lit can be put together with old English literature only without
being canonized because judgment is eliminated. Literary criticism allows us to
define the symbols that are presented in the literary works.
The incorporating of pop literature in the study of English Literature will be a
significant effort to the development of English Literature. Chick lit as the product of
pop literature emerges as the product of women to women. The study of pop
literature will enrich the study of English literature in the guidance of canon
literature. The cultural mobility that happened has influenced how woman is depicted
in every literary works. Women in the past time and women in the post feminism
will be a great background for undergraduate students to do literary criticism. Social
background which is close with us will be a good way to understand English literary
works nowadays and to contribute to the development of English Literary studies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the emergence of chick lit has leaded the study of English
Literature to include pop literature as the part of the studies together with canon
literature. Cultural mobility is the most important aspect toward the emergence of
pop literature. Chick lit which brings woman’s issue also influenced by this cultural
mobility in which woman’s issues changes significantly due to the social
background. Confession of a Shopaholic reflects a modern woman as the main issues
in most Chick lit with the problems of being a woman in this instant world. The
study of English literature is now considered to be restricted due to the use of canon
literature. Chick lit will give a wide interpretation for students to study and to have a
critical thinking about women because they are close with our social background.
The use of canonical and pop literature will open more critical thinking for the
development of English Literature.
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