NAMING AND ORGANIZING CHICK LIT

Kellie Meehlhause LI 804 Ann ONeill

NO, NOT THESE!!!

WHAT IS CHICK LIT?

Contemporary

womens

fiction
Chick

Lit explores the personal, professional, and romantic lives of young, single, working women.

Coming-Of-Age story

Usually

written by women for

women.

CHICK LIT CRITERIA

Main Character: female, 20-30s, an every woman Supporting Characters: gay best friend, evil boss, cheating boyfriend, caring female posse, Mr. Right Setting: Contemporary, urban (NYC, London, L.A.) Humorous, satirical tone Embedded in pop culture

NOTE: These qualities may not be present in all genre literature, but they are stereotypical nonetheless.

JUDGING THE BOOK BY ITS COVER

Bright,

pastel colors Curly, script-like fonts Feminine images (i.e., shoes, make-up, purses, female body)

SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH?

Organizing

a Chick Lit Collection

Traditional Author-Title Index

Plotline/Subgenre
Location

TRADITIONAL AUTHOR-TITLE INDEX

Alphabetized

by authors last name

Most common method in libraries Usually mixed together with general fiction

Can

be further organized by title OR series

PLOTLINE/SUBGENRE

Much like romance novels, chick lit has divided into subgenres to deal with different female experiences . . .

Mommy Lit

Hen Lit

Teen Chick Lit

Guy/Lad Lit

PLOTLINE/SUBGENRE

Or commonly used plotlines.

Bigger Girl Lit

Single City Girl Lit

Wedding Lit

Working Girl Lit

HERES WHERE IT GETS COMPLICATED: CHICK LIT AS A SUBGENRE

In some cases, Chick Lit may be used as a subgenre for another literary genre.

Classics

Mystery

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Historical Fiction

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Organizing Chick Lit by its location (either where it was published or its setting)

Different regions have different writing styles and themes

British Chick Lit

American Chick Lit

International Chick Lit

HOW WILL YOU ORGANIZE YOUR CHICK LIT COLLECTION?