How to Find Yourself First : Shopaholic, Queen of Babble and Chick Lit as a Genre

Abstract: This essay focuses on the genre of Chick Lit and two novels in that genre: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot. The essay examines the origins of the Chick Lit genre and discusses its influences and the typical trademarks of the Chick Lit novel. The essay also discusses how some of the current research has come to the conclusion that Chick Lit is sprung from the genre of romance novels. In the second section of the analysis, the conventional formula of the popular romance novel is presented, followed by a discussion about the ways in which the Chick Lit novels differ from that formula. The primary research question of the essay asks “Is the Chick Lit novel a new version of the romance novel or can it not be seen as a distinct literary genre?” The third section of the essay consists of a comparative reading of the two Chick Lit novels, where it is argued that they can be seen as novels about personal growth and development, and how they deal with self-discovery more than anything else.  In the conclusion, the essay discusses how although Chick Lit novels have borrowed some themes and characteristics from the romance novels, there is also more to the Chick Lit novel than just the romance theme. Friendships and family relations are as important to the two heroines as finding love is, and it is important for the protagonists to understand themselves first, and only after that do they begin thinking about love.