Middlebrow Studies and Its Discontents

Driscoll provides an excellent overview of the controversies surrounding OBC which come into new critical relief when approached through the lens of middlebrow studies, particularly concerns about Winfrey's outsized influence in the literary field and internal scuffles such as Jonathan Franzen's critique of the book club and rescinded invitation and James Frey's debunked 'memoir', A Million Little Pieces. [...]that the middlebrow is both 'mediated' and 'commercial' is often cause for tension, especially when expert intervention about what is 'good' comes up against the full range of marketing strategies, including advertising and social media directed at those who purchase books and the franchised tie-ins that now accompany them.