Este artigo objetiva estudar e refletir sobre o valor que críticos e fruidores dão às narrativas de massa contemporâneas, caracterizadas como best sellers. As discussões abordam os estudos culturais e literários de Antonio Cândido, Jonathan Culler, Terry Eagleton, Antoine Compagnon, Leyla Perrone-Moisés, Tzvetan Todorov, e também, as pesquisas sobre cultura de massa e estudos da narrativa de Umberto Eco. Portanto, esse artigo busca compreender a “literatura de massa” enquanto fenômeno social, que, à revelia de repetidos prognósticos sobre o fim da literatura, faz-nos retornar à verificação do sentido da literatura hoje. Com isso, espera-se contribuir para a compreensão da fortuna crítica e do sucesso da literatura lida e consumida na atualidade.

Mass media and value: the case of best sellers

Abstract: This article aims to study and reflect on the value that critics and readers give to contemporary mass narratives, characterized as best sellers. The discussions include the cultural and literature studies by Antonio Cândido, Jonathan Culler, Terry Eagleton, Antoine Compagnon, Leyla Perrone-Moisés, Tzvetan Todorov, and also the researches on mass culture and studies of the narrative of Umberto Eco. This research, therefore, tries to better understand "mass literature" as a social phenomenon, which, in spite of repeated prognoses about the end of literature, makes us return to the verification of the meaning of literature today. With this, it is hoped to contribute to the understanding of the critical fortune and success of the literature read and consumed today.