Frye and the Opposition between Popular Literature and Bestsellers

Abstract | Abstract

Northrop Frye’s view of “bestseller” literature forms the focus of this article. The legacy of postmodernism entailed the demise of the division between high and low cultural products. However, this did not solve the problem concerning the value of a given work. Frye offers a different model. While Frye defends popular literature proper, he has general reservations about commercial bestsellers, and his choice of concepts represents an interesting contribution to the current discussion.