Aspects of Chick-Lit: A Comparison between Western Chick-Lit and the Israeli Chick-Lit The Song of the Siren

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the 1990s, a new literary genre appeared – the chick lit – dealing with the stories of women in their 20s and 30s in the big city, including accessible and humoristic poetics. This article maps the characteristics of the genre as well as its origins: diary, journalistic writing, romance, glamor novel and Bildungsroman. Comparison between the Anglo-Saxon chick lit and the Israeli chick lit novel The Song of the Siren reveals that the genre is less successful in conservative societies than in liberal Western ones. However, its subversiveness is deeper and it promotes anti-stereotype themes regarding women’s singlehood (which becomes legitimate), in choosing a partner who enables the female character to be dominant and find her place and career in the public sphere.