Global Infatuation: Explorations in Transnational Publishing and Texts. the Case of Harlequin Enterprises and Sweden
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GlobalGlobal Infatuation InfatuationExplorations in Transnational Publishing and Texts the case of harlequin enterprises and sweden HemmungsEvaEva Hemmungs Wirtén Wirtén Skrifter utgivna av Avdelningen för litteratursociologi vid Litteraturvetenskapliga institutionen i Uppsala Publications from the Section for Sociology of Literature at the Department of Literature, Uppsala University Nr 38 Global Infatuation Explorations in Transnational Publishing and Texts the case of harlequin enterprises and sweden Eva Hemmungs Wirtén Avdelningen för litteratursociologi vid Litteraturvetenskapliga institutionen i Uppsala Section for Sociology of Literature at the Department of Literature, Uppsala University Uppsala 1998 Till Mamma och minnet av Pappa Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in literature presented at Uppsala University in 1998 Abstract Hemmungs Wirtén, E. 1998: Global Infatuation: Explorations in Transnational Publishing and Texts. The Case of Harlequin Enterprises and Sweden. Skrifter utgivna av Avdelningen för litteratursociologi vid Litteraturvetenskapliga institutionen i Uppsala. Publications from the Section for Sociology of Literature at the Department of Literature, Uppsala University, 38. 272 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-85178-28-4. English text. This dissertation deals with the Canadian category publisher Harlequin Enterprises. Operating in a hundred markets and publishing in twenty-four languages around the world, Harlequin Enterprises exempliıes the increasingly transnational character of publishing and the media. This book takes the Stockholm-based Scandinavian subsidiary Förlaget Harlequin as a case-study to analyze the complexities involved in the transposition of Harlequin romances from one cultural context into another. Using a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches it is argued that the local process of translation and editing – here referred to as transediting – has a fundamental impact on how the global book becomes local. The study is divided into six chapters, with an Introduction and Conclusion. The Introduction outlines the theoretical and methodological background. The ırst chapter uses Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of ıeld to examine the North American romance phe- nomenon, and is followed by a chapter entirely dedicated to Harlequin Enterprises in Toronto. Chapter Three turns to Sweden and the category book before Harlequin’s arrival on the Scandinavian book market in 1979. Chapter Four draws on six “participatory observations” made at the weekly editorial meetings at the Stockholm oˆce to discuss the work of the editors. Chapter Five analyzes the practice of transediting, exploring local choices and deliberations made by editors and translators in Sweden. Chapter Six is entirely devoted to a reading of ıfty-six Harlequin romances published in Sweden between 1980- 1992. Finally, the Conclusion attempts to draw together and develop the implications of some of the more important points argued in previous chapters. Keywords: Sociology of Literature, Transediting, Globalization, Localization, Romances, Category Publishing, Translation Studies, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture. Eva Hemmungs Wirtén, Department of Literature, Uppsala University, Slottet, Ing. A 0, S-752 37 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: [email protected] © Eva Hemmungs Wirtén, 1998 ISSN 0349-1145 ISBN 91-85178-28-4 Printed in Sweden by Gotab AB Typeface: Caslon 10/15 Graphic Design: Tatlin Design AB, Stockholm, Sweden Contents Acknowledgments 13 Introduction Making the Case 19 Chapter One “Un Jeu à Qui Gagne, Gagne”: The Aˆrmative Economics of the Romance Field 41 Chapter Two Professional Readings, Professional Writings: Harlequin Enterprises, Toronto 63 Chapter Three Rearing Their Ugly Heads: Feminization, Americanization, and the Category Book in Sweden 87 Chapter Four Hardly Work on the Assembly-Line of Literature: Förlaget Harlequin, Stockholm 107 Chapter Five Transediting: The Global Made Local 121 Chapter Six The Relentless Pursuit of Happiness: Reading Special and Exklusiv 155 Conclusion Tying Up Loose Ends 183 Notes 199 References 245 Index 263 Acknowledgments Looking in the obligatory rear-view mirror, I can only say that the years spent working on this project have been privileged beyond my wildest expectations. Not only have I been able to do exactly what I have always wanted – travel and write – but my work has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience from Day One, thanks to many individuals and organizations – whom I now have the pleasure of acknowledging. First, I turn to my dissertation advisor, Professor Johan Svedjedal. Your un- canny ability to get to the core of a manuscript, your seemingly unwavering faith in this project even at times when we have disagreed, your mentoring and insistence on academic excellence in the most minute detail are all traits that make for a remarkable and outstanding advisor. More than anything, however, I admire the fact that you have always managed to ınd time in your busy schedule to talk – via e-mail, phone, or in person – often enthusiastically, always with a sense of humor. I stand a much improved scholar with a much better book because of your commitment. On the other side of the Atlantic, I have beneıted tremendously from the distinguished scholarship of my co-advisor, Professor Janice Radway at Duke University. Your singular fusion of theoretical proıciency with the virtues of tangible empirical research has made you a professional role-model Acknowledgements 13 who has always made me feel that I could expand my own capacity far beyond what I would have thought possible. Truly a unique teacher at work! During the year and a half I spent with my family in Durham, you welcomed us into your home on numerous occasions, making us feel much more than just like temporary “aliens.” From my family to yours; Jan, Kathy and Kate – thank you for your friendship, hospitality and generosity – it will always be treasured! I would also like to recognize Associate Professor Dag Björkegren at The Stockholm School of Economics, for your assistance as co-advisor in the initial stages of my project, and for so graciously stepping aside when Janice instead took on this responsibility. A number of people within Förlaget Harlequin in Stockholm and Harlequin Enterprises in Toronto are perhaps the ones who have been most aƒected by my work. First, my sincerest gratitude goes to Agneta Knutsson, Editor-in-chief at Förlaget Harlequin in Stockholm, whom I met for the ırst time in 1992. Throughout the years, you have been my primary contact in the company, and it has always been a pleasure meeting and talking to you. The assistance and help you have provided me with has been of inestimable worth, and I also thank you and the other editors; Inga-Lill Blomqvist, Ewa Högberg, and Eva Susso, for allowing me to take part in your weekly editorial meetings and for the opportunity to gain some insight into your everyday work. I hope I have done you all credit, because without you this dissertation would have been much less interesting. In Toronto, Candy Lee, Vice President of Retail Marketing and Editorial at Harlequin Enterprises proved instrumental in letting me visit the Harlequin headquarters during two days in September 1994. Marsha Zinberg, Senior Editor and Editorial Coordinator Special Projects, whom I ırst met and interviewed in St. Louis 1993, arranged all the practicalities during that stay in Toronto, and always assisted me whenever information from Canada was needed. I am grateful to you both. The fact that I have been able to participate without cost in three major North American romance conferences has also been of great value to my work. I am indebted to Romance Writers of America for letting me take part in the 1993 National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri and in the 1995 National Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii; and the Georgia Romance Writers of America for allowing me to attend the annual Moonlight and Magnolias Writers Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in 1994. These conferences helped 14 Global Infatuation make me aware of the scope of the romance genre in North America. In particular, however, I would like to mention writer Jayne Anne Krentz and the two Superromance writers Karen Stone and Phyllis Strobler, all of whom I had the pleasure of meeting in St. Louis in 1993. Drawing on your extensive knowledge of the genre added a new dimension to this book, and I thank you for being so generous with both your time and experiences. My research has taken place primarily at two very diƒerent academic institutions. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Section for Sociology of Literature at the Department of Literature, Uppsala University has been “my home at home.” Here, the weekly graduate seminars have provided me not only with an academic, but also with a valued social context; a combi- nation of comradeship and critique that I have always felt at home in and enjoyed. All of my colleagues have a part in this, but I would like to mention two of you in particular. Through various projects, Erik Peurell and Maria Karlsson have come to transcend mere professional relationships and turn into good friends. Lamenting the trials and tribulations of graduate studies with you has always helped, particularly at those times when no one else had the strength to listen to them, and much energy and enthusiasm have emerged as a result of our discussions. I hope we will continue to work together on new projects in the future – let’s vote for them to include a vacation on Ocracoke! My “home away from home” has been The Graduate Program in Litera- ture at Duke University, North Carolina, where I was able to spend three semesters as a visiting scholar. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to The Graduate Program in Literature and Janice Radway for inviting me. In large part I owe this invaluable experience to the ınancial support received from The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and Uppsala University’s Thun Travel Scholarship. I also recognize generous grants from Karl and Betty Warburg’s Fund and Jan Stenkvist’s Memorial Fund. During my sojourns in the United States, I have had the privilege of having my manuscript scrutinized in diƒerent versions; Professor Barbara B.