MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

The paper analyzes Nick Hornby’s 2010 novel, Juliet, Naked. Using a close analysis of the popular culture used in the novel, especially the music industry and the cult of arts blogging, it argues that Juliet, Naked is worthy of study as an artifact of post-modern narrative. The paper first reviews the scholarship on the use of popular culture as a feature of post-modernism, with reference to the definitions of post-modernism found in the work of Jonathan Clark and M.H. Abrams. It then compares Juliet, Naked’s use of music with that of Hornby’s acclaimed first novel, High Fidelity. Going beyond the High Fidelity comparison, the paper looks at how Hornby uses the popular music invented for the book as a recurring trope that generates many of the interactions of Juliet, Naked. The paper also discusses the popular culture of these varied but connected elements: the music, the fans, the mythology around the band, the analysis of the performances found in the book, and the various media coverages. It will also analyze the postmodernism of the narrative structure, as Hornby switches narrative perspectives, from Tucker to Duncan to Annie. Part of this analysis will also go into Hornby’s use of email (a significant feature of the novel), a pop culture communication technique. It will conclude with a discussion of Hornby’s use of postmodernism and his movement between pop culture and high literary art.