Storytelling has always existed at the core of human culture and society. A recent study of a Filipino hunter-gatherer tribe; the Agta, discovered that even in this pre-agricultural community, stories were being used to encourage concepts of cooperation, compromise and gender equality (Young, 2017). Such findings, coupled with the existence of cultural sites like the Chauvet caves, suggest that storytelling has, since the dawn of human civilization, informed and enforced cultural ideals, traditions and material realities. It is bizarre then, that for much of western civilization, the majority of the academic world has regarded some of the most popular and widespread forms of storytelling as lacking analytical value. For much of modern history popular genres and popular literatures were derided by academia as being low culture – trope filled texts designed to be easily consumable and marketable opposed to challenging and ideologically complex. As a result, literary discussion and criticism was predominantly directed at more traditional, exclusive and high-culture literary fiction, with popular fiction rarely analysed. On the rare occurrences that literary fiction and mass media was discussed in academic circles, it was often used to highlight the supposed degradation of modern society, or analysed through the lens of propaganda and persuasion (Bates and Ferri, 2010).

Schneider-Mayerson (2010) in ‘Popular Fiction Studies: The Advantages of a New Field’ chronicles the steady increase of popular genres’ legitimacy within academic discourse. This shift in attitude was supposedly spearheaded by the advent of the new left and second-wave feminism during the early eighties, both focusing upon the dismantling of embedded hierarchies, ideological and physical. The distinction between elite and low culture was one such hierarchy that faced significant scrutiny, being considered an arbitrary and classist tool which acted to exclude the working class from cultural and historical narratives (Schneider-Mayerson, 2010). Many new age academics from this period rightly pointed out that popular genres were just as, if not more influential and reflective of modern society than their high culture counterparts, being significantly more socially pervasive than literary fiction.  An early example of this increased academic interest in popular genres was feminist academics’ criticism of popular romances as frequently passivizing women and characterising them as lacking romantic agency (Schneider-Mayerson, 2010). From here the field blossomed, and the study of popular genres has become increasingly mainstream within cultural and literary academia, although the academic bias towards literary fiction no doubt remains at the core of many literary studies.

The elevation of popular genres in academia is an important step in understanding human society and culture. As stated above, storytelling, especially that which is highly propagated within a society, reflects upon said society as a whole via the process of its creation and audience’s reception to the text. Stories have the ability to shape how we understand the world, and popular narratives in many ways can be considered a modernised version of myth and religion. In this regard, it is important to understand the messages communicated within these texts. Improved analysis and understanding has aided in the deconstruction of cultural movements, as well as contributed to the growing trend of problematic ideas and tropes being properly acknowledged and criticised in order to reduce their impact. By taking emphasis away from culturally-elite literature, voices from marginalised authors traditionally excluded from cultural canon have started to be given a place of greater importance in academic and cultural discourse. This elevation of marginalised voice has likely been invaluable in educating the wider public on issues faced by minority demographics such as the POC and queer communities.

On a smaller scale, this developing cultural awareness of popular genres has allowed authors and creators to experiment with the conventions and limitations of various genres, testing limits and exploring new thematic and narrative avenues. Thematically rich genre-fiction has come to hold a place of cultural importance similar to the position once held exclusively by literary fiction, facilitating a blurring of lines between genres and the concepts which they can engage with (Rothman, 2014). While still growing, the study of popular genres has already provided invaluable insight into the constantly shifting cultural and social norms of global society, and has rightfully acknowledged the value of such texts in shaping and reflecting our world.

References

Bates, S., & Ferri, A. (2010). What’s Entertainment? Notes Toward a Definition. Studies in Popular Culture, 33(1), 1-20. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/stable/23416316?seq=13#metadata_info_tab_contents

Schneider-Mayerson, M. (2010). Popular Fiction Studies: The Advantages of a New Field. Studies in Popular Culture, 33(1), 21-35. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23416317?seq=7#metadata_info_tab_contents

Young, E. (2017). The Desirability of Storytellers. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/the-origins-of-storytelling/547502/

Rothman, J. (2014). A Better Way to Think About the Genre Debate. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/joshua-rothman/better-way-think-genre-debate