I thought Leslie T. Chang's article, "Working Titles," was a very interesting read. Although I am fully aware of the well-known working mentality that overwhelms the Chinese culture, I was still fascinated by the concept of a "workplace novel". It was very interesting to read about what a massive, cult following these types of novels have amongst the Chinese population. That being said, I think it is also worth acknowledging that self-help books, namely self-help books regarding personal finance, becoming successful, etc., also have quite the fan base here in the United States. Although we don't characterize them as workplace novels, these books draw millions of readers here. Much like some of the novels described in Leslie Chang's article, many successful people write books about how to achieve equal success, fame, and fortune, most usually in an autobiographical format. The key difference between these books in the United States and the workplace novels in China is that, in the United States, the books are specifically regarded, promoted, and sold as how-to books of sorts--they aren't leisurely novels. Herein lies the central contrast between the two cultures. Although American's love their "how to get rich/how to be successful" books as much as the Chinese, Americans still look to other books to read for fun, for leisure, and for a way to escape their daily trials and tribulations. These books usually have juicy plots, filled with sex, romance, and fantasy. Whether they offer an escape into the fantastical world of "The Hunger Games" or satisfy guilty sexual pleasures found in "50 Shades of Grey", best-selling novels in the United States are very often best-sellers because they offer Americans a way out of their usual busy, money-centric, work-heavy lives. In China however, this downtime and this concept of escape is not as emphasized-- or even emphasized at all. Instead of using books as a way to relax or take a break from their already-hectic, hard-working lives, the Chinese culture pushes people to further stress themselves out, further challenge themselves, and further increase the pressure they put on themselves to do better, make more money, and be more successful. On top of that, American culture, namely media culture, largely associates money, success, and power with sex. Usually books about mega successful, mega rich people include lots of sex-- its something that is supposed to make success and wealth even more appealing. I thought it was interesting that this was not the case in China. Publishers instead suggest as little sex and romance as possible in workplace novels to make the novels sell better. And they seem to be right!
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