Transgressive Appropriations in Lucha Corpi’s Detective Fiction

Popular fiction is characterized by its formulaic nature and its tendency to portray the dominant value system of a culture. By following the formulas and conventions of the genre, readability is ensured and therefore, little strain is placed on the reader. The reader finds him/herself competent by recognizing the conventions and having his or her expectations fulfilled. Cawelti states that “formula stories affirm existing interests and attitudes by presenting an imaginary world that is aligned with these interests and attitudes” Adventure 35 . This is true since the formula dictates how the writer manipulates the readers’ response to the text. Detective fiction, as a popular genre follows this trend, having as its primary purpose that of producing pleasure, the pleasure of solving the crime, of undoing the puzzle. Thus, these genres, by definition, Porter argues, are a form of literature that do not offend the taste or values of the readers 5 . It does not confuse or produce conflict in the reader and it achieves its purpose by embodying the ideological presuppositions that elicit recognition and approbation of the mass audience. It acknowledges a shared community of values.