‘Snob Value’: Gender and Literary Value in Mary Stewart

Abstract

All of Mary Stewart’s novels are rich in reference to other texts: most possess titles and epigraphs taken from a range of literary sources, and many of their plots are influenced by other works. Stewart, famous for her bestselling romantic thrillers, describes feeling that she needed to prove her worth—that she was required to demonstrate a particular level of literary awareness in order to earn her title as a particular kind of writer. However, Stewart associates her literary allusions with pleasure, something which, as the author discusses, undermines their literary value as it is calculated by the highbrow. This mixed attitude towards literary value is characteristic of Stewart’s work: the author argues that a complex negotiation of cultural capital and canonicity can be read throughout her oeuvre. With a focus on This Rough Magic (1964), this article shows that Stewart’s writing works to undermine the notion of the canon and redefine traditional notions of literary value, as well as reflect on the challenges faced by women writers. By comparing reviews of Stewart’s work with those of her male contemporary Ian Fleming, the author demonstrates how notions of gender and literary value affected the way Stewart and her novels were received and perceived.