1.
popular literature; mass-market fiction; entertainment literature
Literature written primarily for entertainment and broad popular appeal, as opposed to serious or highbrow literary fiction. Encompasses genres like mystery, romance, adventure, and historical fiction aimed at a general readership.
通俗文学は幅広い読者に親しまれている。
Popular literature is enjoyed by a wide range of readers.
純文学と通俗文学の境界は曖昧になっている。
The boundary between literary fiction and popular literature is becoming blurred.
戦前の日本では、通俗文学は文学的価値が低いと見なされていたが、今では再評価されている。
In prewar Japan, popular literature was regarded as having low literary value, but today it has been reevaluated.
Composed of 通俗 (popular, common, accessible) and 文学 (literature). In Japanese literary criticism, the distinction between 純文学 (pure/literary fiction) and 通俗文学 (popular fiction) has been significant since the Meiji era. The term carries a slight connotation of being less artistically serious, though this perception has softened over time.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 通俗文学作家: popular fiction writer
- 通俗文学の傑作: masterpiece of popular literature
- 通俗文学を読む: to read popular fiction
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 大衆文学: mass literature — nearly synonymous, but emphasizes the mass audience; this term became more common after the Taisho era
- 純文学: literary fiction, pure literature — the counterpart focused on artistic and aesthetic expression
- 娯楽小説: entertainment novel — focuses on the entertainment aspect of individual works