Adventure, Mystery, and Romance

In this first general theory for the analysis of popular literary formulas, John G. Cawelti reveals the artistry that underlies the best in formulaic literature. Cawelti discusses such seemingly diverse works as Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Dorothy Sayers's The Nine Tailors, and Owen Wister's The Virginian in the light of his hypotheses about the cultural function of formula literature. He describes the most important artistic characteristics of popular formula stories and the differences between this literature and that commonly labeled high or serious literature. He also defines the archetypal patterns of adventure, mystery, romance, melodrama, and fantasy, and offers a tentative account of their basis in human psychology.
John G. Cawelti, professor of English at the University of Kentucky, is the author of Adventure, Mystery, and Romance, also published by the University of Chicago Press. Bruce A. Rosenberg is professor of American Civilization and English at Brown University.