ABSTRACT
By way of conclusion, I want to try to bring together what might at times have seem like two separate discussions. In the earlier chapters I looked at the contrasting ways in which two different countries define and view a bestseller. I found that, despite almost opposing literary traditions, the movement in both French and American publishing has been, and will continue to be, towards greater control of decision-making by financial powers rather than literary along with the concentration of publishing in the hands of large multi-national companies. Despite claims to the contrary by some of the publishers with whom I spoke, the change in ownership of previously independent houses can only threaten the publishing of new and exciting literature. I also looked at the long history of women writers producing bestsellers in both France and the United States, some of the texts, and one of the major myths which structures that fiction. It became obvious that throughout the long tradition of women writing popular fiction, the texts have evolved and changed according to the ideal women have of their own liberation. Rather than now attempt a reductive type of conclusion which would force me to assign a value judgement to either the bestseller or women’s popular fiction, I would like to suggest some tentative propositions as a starting point for future work.
