Chick Lit in the Classroom. Identity and Gender in Gossip Girl and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Abstract

Language and literature give students access to new worlds and present voices that offer new perspectives. Literature is used in the language classroom to improve language skills and is a highly important tool in order for the students to develop and reflect on identities. This essay gives an introduction to the Chick Lit genre, which is a popular genre among young girls. The aim is to problematize the genre by analyzing the Chick Lit protagonists in Cecily von Ziegstar’s Gossip Girl (2003) and Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic (2000) by using Judith Butler’s theories to discuss the normality presented to the reader in terms of gender identities. Moreover, the essay argues that the Chick Lit genre reiterates gender norms but can be used in the EFL Classroom in accordance with Lgr11 to discuss identity and gender roles.