Eross - Expressions Research Orientations: Sexuality Studies

PhD Students

Naht Tuan Nguyen

Phd Title

Chick Lit Heroines in Translation: Role Models in Ireland and Vietnam

Abstract

The last ten years has witnessed a sharp rise in the sales figures for Chick Lit fiction in the bestseller lists. However, chick lit has attracted little serious interest from scholars. It is also criticized for breaking the traditional images of women. The new Chick lit heroines appear to be desperate, drunken girls, and in particular they have strong sexual desires, constantly looking for sexual pleasure. Marian Keyes and Cecelia Ahern are two of the most popular Irish chick lit writers. Their books have been translated and published in over 30 countries including Vietnam. Their novels are highly appreciated for presenting an authentic picture of Irish women's lives in contemporary society and showing how their lives are influenced by traditional values. This dissertation will examine the concept of 'woman' ( her appearance, her attitudes towards issues such as love, family, sexual desire…, her life purposes and desires…) in Keyes' and Ahern's novels and their Vietnamese translations in order to explore the impact of Irish culture on their description of "a woman" as well as the influence of Vietnamese culture on the translation.