칙릿과 정전의 기묘한 연계 - 『악마는 프라다를 입는다 』와『브리짓 존스 』 시리즈의 경우

Abstract

Since the publication of Bridget Jones’s Diary, chick lit has been associated with the legacy of canonical masterpieces, especially by female writers. Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion have been credited with lending plots and perspectives to the Bridget Jones series; Wharton, Brontë, and Woolf are among the names mentioned for their influence on the bestselling chick lit. While these names provide weight and authority to the new popular novels, comparisons with these literary godmothers inevitably devalue the modern sub-genre. Hence the trope of navel cord most interestingly encapsulates the relationship between canonical female writers and chick lit novels, as the former is not only able to throw a literary spotlight on the latter but also to outshine it instantly. The pairing of The Bell Jar and The Devil Wears Prada also demonstrates curious parallels. The latter’s brazen portrayal of a postfeminist heroine functions to better define the still-developing genre of chick lit, but an inevitable comparison not unexpectedly favors Plath’s canon. Finally, however, the recent publication of Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy marks a point of departure in the history of chick lit; its new focus on post-Austen and post-happily-ever-after endings importantly interrogates and problematizes public understanding of the genre. Bridget’s possible rewriting of To The Lighthouse further humorously upturns chick lit’s godmother-goddaughter relationship with canonical writers. Bridget, who is one of the most representative chick lit characters, offers Woolf’s heroine an opportunity to live once again, but not vice versa.