Drowning Sorrows Away: An Analysis of Alcohol Consumption in Two Chick Lit Novels

Abstract

[Abstract] The present Master’s degree final project analyses the alcohol consumption pattern of Bridget Jones and Eleanor Oliphant, two chick lit heroines set in two decades apart. As alcohol is often less stigmatized than other drugs, it tends to be misused or unnoticed. To carry out the analysis, a theoretical background based on a modern approach to addiction has been developed and considered. Furthermore, a three-approach methodology is applied: first, specific quotes extracted from each novel are examined using a set of six questions; second, the protagonists’ alcohol consumption is assessed with the aid of a screening tool (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test); third, the alcohol use settings of each protagonist is explored. The findings point to an abusive alcohol consumption of both, Bridget Jones and Eleanor Oliphant, but with notable differences between their drinking patterns, likely to be a result of their past traumatic events