Having a Good Cry: Effeminate Feelings and Pop-Culture Forms (Theory and Interpretation of Narrative")

Warhol (English, U. of Vermont) examines the ways in which various "effeminate" varieties of 19th- and 20th-century fiction use formulas to produce certain responses (such as crying) among their fans. Taking a psycho-physiological approach, the author seeks to describe the somatic experience of reading as it takes place in the gendered body. Some of the genres studied here include sentimental stories, marriage plots, serialized novels, and soap operas. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)