weird girl lit

Once if a girl was labelled ‘weird’, that meant social ostracisation.  Now being weird has come to mean being highly individualistic, and authentic — that modern word of praise.  Nothing beats ‘authentic’.  So it comes as no surprise to find that you can get a coffee mug with Weird Girl on it so that you can proclaim your own weird girl status at morning tea.

This has led to yet another lit genre — weird girl lit, which mixes attempts by the female protagonist to defy social norms  with magic realism (obligatory now in all literature) and sometimes a dash of horror. The female characters are socially on the edge, feel intense emotions, and behave in ways that defy convention while exploring the chasm between what they feel is right for them and what is expected of them.

Lits, as in literary genres, are now popping up on a daily basis, oten as a term dreamed up by a reviewer to encapsulate the style of writing.

We have some established lits like chick lit and gangsta lit but these new lits seem much more to be individual inventions.

Last week there was rant lit.  The author feels strongly about the subject matter, sometimes so strongly that they can seem self-opinionated and hectoring.  There is an evangelical zeal in their desire to convince others.

This week we have hibernation lit, books which have as their theme the cosy and comforting feeling of locking oneself away from the world, at least for a period of rejuvenation.

What will next week’s lit be?