“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.”
— C. S. Lewis

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
— Ray Bradbury

Defining Popular Literature

The term “popular” derives from the Latin populus (people), signifying works created for and consumed by the masses (Frow 23). As John Frow argues, popular literature functions as a “cultural practice” that both reflects and shapes societal values, often serving as a mirror to the anxieties and aspirations of its time (24). In the Indian context, this includes fiction and non-fiction works that prioritize broad accessibility over elitist literary conventions, straddling the tension between “high” and “low” culture (Anjaria 5).

Popular literature distinguishes itself from “high literature”—a category historically associated with experimental forms, thematic complexity, and institutional validation (Bourdieu 112). While canonical texts like Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali emphasize artistic innovation, popular literature prioritizes immediate engagement, often through genre-driven narratives designed for commercial success (Gelder 8).