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Rob Flemming and Female Stereotypes in High Fidelity

 

            
             Contemporary English literature has produced a plethora of novels dealing with the everyday lives of people within the context of their place of origin and their unique culture. The United Kingdom is currently seeing the rise of potential cult classics such as Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, which followed the lives of heroine junkies in modern-day Edinburgh; and Bridget Jones" Diary by Helen Fielding, a day-by-day account of the trials and tribulations of a single woman in cosmopolitan London.
             Nick Hornby, a music and pop-culture critic, has been at the forefront of this genre with works like High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, About a Boy, and How to be Good. High Fidelity, his most celebrated work, is about a record shop owner from London in his thirties who is trying to cope with a recent break-up with his girlfriend. The novel, like Trainspotting and Bridget Jones", is another potential cult classic. According to Penguin Puntam books, it is a number one best seller, and a critic's favorite on both sides of the Atlantic. .
             (http://www.peguinpuntam.com/static/packages/us/nickhornby/author.htm). .
             A testament to this is the 2000 release of a movie adaptation of the novel starring John Cusack. Though not a top-grosser, it was heralded for its simple beauty consistent with that of the novel. Rob Blackwelder of Spliced Wire says, the movie, like the novel, "will stand the test of time because it captures this generation's most common relationship foible so amusingly" (http://www.splicedonline.com/00reviews/hifi.html). .
             The novel was indeed an accurate depiction of the idiosyncrasies of amorous relationships. The reason for this stems from the kind of main protagonist present in the story. Rob Flemming, who narrates his account of heartbreak, is as idiosyncratic as the relationships he is in. It can be seen that he responds to gender roles quite peculiarly. It is therefore apt that a gender analysis of him be undertaken.


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