The aim of this essay is to examine book covers consisting of art reproductions as a contemporary book cover tendency for literary fiction. Since the ”art cover” does not recur to the same extent on popular fiction the study focuses on its functions in the packaging of literary fiction. The theoretical framework is based on concepts such as ”paratext”, ”duomedial dialogues” and ”cultural capital”. Earlier studies on literary fiction, book covers and classical artforms are moreover central aspects to the conclusions made in this essay. The method used is a mix of a quantitative mapping of the book cover tendency and a qualitative analysis of the selected material. The material, consisting of nine contemporary literary fiction novels, are analyzed through their intermedial connections to the artworks displayed on their book covers. While the quantitative mapping showed that most art covers reproduce non-contemporary artworks, the qualitative analysis demonstrated that the motifs are depicted differently in the selected novels. Whereas the artwork in some novels seem meaningful to the plot, other novels only mention the artwork briefly or not at all. Consequently, the art cover is discussed as a marketing tool developed by publishing companies in order to address the right audience. In its displaying of historical or classical art, the book cover tendency resembles classical aesthetics and cultural ideals that are mainly learned through institutions that legitimizes cultural capital. Thus, the novel’s intermedial connection to the art cover is not equally comprehensible to all readers but firmly to a cultural privileged one. Furthermore, this essay demonstrates that the art cover conveys prestige and cultural value in a similar way to literary fiction. As a result, literary fiction continues to distance itself from popular fiction on the contemporary book market.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-532388 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Anehill, Matilda |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för litteraturvetenskap och retorik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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