A potboiler or pot-boiler is a novel, play, opera, film, or other creative work of dubious literary or artistic merit, whose main purpose was to pay for the creator's daily expenses—thus the imagery of "boil the pot",[1] which means "to provide one's livelihood."[2] Authors who create potboiler novels or screenplays are sometimes called hack writers or hacks. Novels deemed to be potboilers may also be called pulp fiction, and potboiler films may be called "popcorn movies."
If a serious playwright or novelist's creation is deemed a potboiler, this has a negative connotation that suggests that it is a mediocre or inferior work.
Historical examplesedit
In 1854 Putnam's Magazine used the term in the following sentence: "He has not carelessly dashed off his picture, with the remark that 'it will do for a pot-boiler'".[3]
Jane Scovell's Oona:Living in the Shadows states that "...the play was a mixed blessing. Through it O'Neill latched on to a perennial source of income, but the promise of his youth was essentially squandered on a potboiler."
Lewis Carroll, in a letter to illustrator A. B. Frost in 1880, advises Frost not to spend his advance pay for his work on Rhyme? & Reason? lest he be forced to "do a 'pot-boiler' for some magazine" to make ends meet.[4]
A 1980s reviewer for Time condemned the novel Thy Brother's Wife, by Andrew Greeley, as a "putrid, puerile, prurient, pulpy potboiler".[5]
In the late 1990s, American author and newspaper reporter Stephen Kinzer wrote that reading a "potboiler" is "a fine form of relaxation but not exactly mind-expanding."[6]
In an interview with Publishers Weekly, writer David Schow described potboilers as fiction that "stacks bricks of plot into a nice, neat line".[7]
^Cohen, Morton; Green, Roger, eds. (1979). The Letters of Lewis Carroll. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 397. ISBN0-19-520090-X.
^Mohs, Mayo; J. Madeleine Nash (12 July 1982). . Time. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
^Kinzer, Stephen (19 April 1998). "Traveling Companions". New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
^Dziemianowicz, Stefan (6 October 2003). "From Splatterpunk to Bullets: PW Talks with David Schow". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
Further readingedit
"Potboiler" at World Wide Words
January 01, 1970
potboiler, type, boiler, boiler, potboiler, boiler, novel, play, opera, film, other, creative, work, dubious, literary, artistic, merit, whose, main, purpose, creator, daily, expenses, thus, imagery, boil, which, means, provide, livelihood, authors, create, po. For a type of boiler see pot boiler A potboiler or pot boiler is a novel play opera film or other creative work of dubious literary or artistic merit whose main purpose was to pay for the creator s daily expenses thus the imagery of boil the pot 1 which means to provide one s livelihood 2 Authors who create potboiler novels or screenplays are sometimes called hack writers or hacks Novels deemed to be potboilers may also be called pulp fiction and potboiler films may be called popcorn movies Contents 1 Usage 1 1 Historical examples 2 See also 3 References 4 Further readingUsage editIf a serious playwright or novelist s creation is deemed a potboiler this has a negative connotation that suggests that it is a mediocre or inferior work Historical examples edit In 1854 Putnam s Magazine used the term in the following sentence He has not carelessly dashed off his picture with the remark that it will do for a pot boiler 3 Jane Scovell s Oona Living in the Shadows states that the play was a mixed blessing Through it O Neill latched on to a perennial source of income but the promise of his youth was essentially squandered on a potboiler Lewis Carroll in a letter to illustrator A B Frost in 1880 advises Frost not to spend his advance pay for his work on Rhyme amp Reason lest he be forced to do a pot boiler for some magazine to make ends meet 4 A 1980s reviewer for Time condemned the novel Thy Brother s Wife by Andrew Greeley as a putrid puerile prurient pulpy potboiler 5 In the late 1990s American author and newspaper reporter Stephen Kinzer wrote that reading a potboiler is a fine form of relaxation but not exactly mind expanding 6 In an interview with Publishers Weekly writer David Schow described potboilers as fiction that stacks bricks of plot into a nice neat line 7 See also editAirport novel Pot Bouille an 1882 novel by Emile Zola Pulp fictionReferences edit WordNet Search 3 1 Archived from the original on 2013 11 04 Retrieved 2011 04 05 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Fourth ed Boston Houghton Mifflin 2000 ISBN 0 395 82517 2 http www worldwidewords org qa qa pot1 htm Potboiler at World Wide Words Cohen Morton Green Roger eds 1979 The Letters of Lewis Carroll New York Oxford University Press p 397 ISBN 0 19 520090 X Mohs Mayo J Madeleine Nash 12 July 1982 Books The Luck of Andrew Greeley Time Archived from the original on October 15 2010 Retrieved 17 August 2012 Kinzer Stephen 19 April 1998 Traveling Companions New York Times Retrieved 17 August 2012 Dziemianowicz Stefan 6 October 2003 From Splatterpunk to Bullets PW Talks with David Schow Publishers Weekly Retrieved 17 August 2012 Further reading edit Potboiler at World Wide Words Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Potboiler amp oldid 1220280147, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
