In this first general theory for the analysis of popular literary formulas, John G. Cawelti reveals the artistry that underlies the best in formulaic literature. Cawelti discusses such seemingly diverse works as Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Dorothy Sayers's The Nine Tailors, and Owen Wister's The Virginian in the light of his hypotheses about the cultural function of formula literature. He describes the most important artistic characteristics of popular formula stories and the differences between this literature and that commonly labeled "high" or "serious" literature. He also defines the archetypal patterns of adventure, mystery, romance, melodrama, and fantasy, and offers a tentative account of their basis in human psychology.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolute Classic,
By Richard B. Schwartz (Columbia, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture (Phoenix Series) (Paperback)
I recommended this book to a student yesterday and I was very surprised to see that it had not yet been reviewed on Amazon.com. The book is an absolute classic--the beginning point for any serious study of category fiction. As the title implies, the book covers mysteries, westerns, romances, social melodramas--the full spectrum of genre writing. It does so in ways that are both historical and theoretical and it does so for a wide audience. Academics have used this book for a generation and general readers will find it fascinating, accessible, thoughtful and enjoyable. What are the roots of genre fiction? Why do we read it? Who are its most successful practitioners? How do we differentiate among various forms, including cozies and American noir? This is the place to start. It is both 'introductory' and magisterial. Very highly recommended.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
In general, a literary formula is a structure of narrative or dramatic conventions employed in a great number of individual works. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
classical detective formula, classical detective genre, classical detective story, popular story formulas, detective story formula, procedural subgenre, social melodrama, formulaic literature, crime formulas, western formula, gangster protagonist, formulaic art, moral fantasy, gangster saga, formulaic types, classical detective stories, adventure formulas, mimetic literature, melodramatic vision, formulaic works, formula literature, melodramatic formula, major formulas, literary formulas, tragic melodrama Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mike Hammer, Agatha Christie, Philip Marlowe, Dorothy Sayers, Rue Morgue, Mickey Spillane, Irving Wallace, Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter, The Nine Tailors, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Zane Grey, John Ford, Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon, Third Girl, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Deadwood Dick, World War, Harold Bell Wright, Harold Robbins, The Moonstone, Owen Wister, Roderick Usher New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In general, a literary formula is a structure of narrative or dramatic conventions employed in a great number of individual works. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
classical detective formula, classical detective genre, classical detective story, popular story formulas, detective story formula, procedural subgenre, social melodrama, formulaic literature, crime formulas, western formula, gangster protagonist, formulaic art, moral fantasy, gangster saga, formulaic types, classical detective stories, adventure formulas, mimetic literature, melodramatic vision, formulaic works, formula literature, melodramatic formula, major formulas, literary formulas, tragic melodrama Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mike Hammer, Agatha Christie, Philip Marlowe, Dorothy Sayers, Rue Morgue, Mickey Spillane, Irving Wallace, Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter, The Nine Tailors, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Zane Grey, John Ford, Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon, Third Girl, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Deadwood Dick, World War, Harold Bell Wright, Harold Robbins, The Moonstone, Owen Wister, Roderick Usher New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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100
books
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- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett on 11 pages
- The Purloined Letter (Creative's Classics) by Edgar Allan Poe on 8 pages
- Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett on 8 pages
- The Last of the Mohicans (Bantam Classics) by James Fenimore Cooper on 7 pages
- The Chapman Report by Irving Wallace on 6 pages
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- Traces, Codes, and Clues: Reading Race in Crime Fiction by Maureen T. Reddy on 6 pages
- Reading the West: New Essays on the Literature of the American West (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture) by Michael Kowalewski on 5 pages
- Inspecting Jews: American Jewish Detective Stories by Laurence Roth on 4 pages
- The Great American Outlaw: A Legacy of Fact and Fiction by Frank Richard Prassel in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Multicultural Detective Fiction: Murder from the "Other" Side (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) by Adrienne J. Gosselin on page 13, page 254, and page 347
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