Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories As Art And Popular Culture

By: John G. Cawelt

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Synopsis: 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.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 344 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9780226148700
Related ISBNs:: 9780226098661
Publisher:: The University of Chicago Press
Date of Addition:: 05/31/24
Copyrighted By:: The University of Chicago
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: Reference, Literature and Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Language Arts
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.